4  *  *„,%la, 

O  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  "> 


Presented  by  Mr.  Samuel  Agnew  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Division       J— '   \_-/  f^»-<- 
Section        •  •     i  J( 
Number 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/menthingsasisaOOmurr 


MEN  AND   THUGS 


AS 


I   SAW   THEM   IN   EUROPE. 


BY    KIRWAN. 


y 


fly  £r  X.  ^^W*- 


NEW  YORK: 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHER 

329    &.    831     PEARL    STREET, 
FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 

1853. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-three,  by 

Harper  &  Brothers, 

in  the  Clerk's  Oflice  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


TO 


HIS  OWN  PEOPLE, 


ENDEARED  TO  HIM  BY  A  MINISTRY  OF  TWENTY  YEARS, 
THIS  MEMORIAL  OF  HIS  FOREIGN  TRAVEL 


%  Befittfe) 


BY  THEIR  PASTOR. 


PREFACE. 


"What,  another  book  of  sketches  of  men  and  things 
in  Europe !  Yes,  verily,  another  book !  But  how  came 
you  to  write  it  ?  I  will  tell  you.  First,  because  many 
of  my  friends  seemed  determined  that  I  should  write  it. 
Secondly,  because  I  had  collected  matter  enough  for  a 
volume  during  my  rambles.  Thirdly,  I  have  as  good 
a  right  to  maintain  the  truth  of  the  proverb,  that  "  of 
making  books  there  is  no  end,"  as  any  body  else. 
Fourthly,  because  I  saw  things  with  my  own  eyes, 
and  desired  to  tell  about  them  in  my  own  way.  Fifth- 
ly, because  I  believe  I  have-  friends  and  readers  enough 
to  exhaust  at  least  one  edition,  who  are  desirous  to 
know  who  and  what  I  saw,  and  what  I  think  about 
them  ;  and  I  have  a  wish  to  gratify  them.  And, 
lastly,  because  I  thought  I  could  make  some  revelations 
as  to  religion,  morals,  and  men,  that  may  be  of  some 
use  to  my  generation.  If  these  reasons  are  not  satis- 
factory, the  reader  has  my  hearty  consent  to  lay  down 
this  volume  unread.  The  loss  may  be  as  much  his  as 
mine. 

I  describe  things  as  I  saw  them  ;  and  if  my  pictures 
are  not  true,  it  is  because  I  am  no  painter.  I  speak  of 
men  and  things  according  to  my  own  impressions  ;  who 
would  desire  me  to  speak  according  to  theirs  ?  Let 
all  such  write  their  own  books.  Though  I  may  be 
judged  as  having  spoken  with  undue  severity  as  to 


VI  PREFACE. 

some  things  in  the  following  pages,  I  hope  I  have  spo- 
ken as  a  Christian ;  and  as  an  American  citizen,  who 
feels  that  my  adopted,  beloved  country  has  nothing  to 
learn  but  evil  from  the  religion,  the  habits,  the  morals, 
the  politics,  and  especially  the  priests  of  the  Continent 
of  Europe.  There  are  some  things  which  require  a 
whip  of  scorpions,  and  they  should  have  it. 

I  say  but  little  about  Ireland,  as  I  indulge  the  hope 
of  giving  a  little  volume  to  the  public  on  Ireland  and 
the  Irish,  for  the  benefit  of  its  swarming  emigrants  to 
this  land.  But  whether  I  can  arrange  my  materials, 
and  when,  are  very  uncertain — perhaps  soon,  perhaps 
never. 

I  often  allude  in  these  pages  to  my  traveling  com- 
panion. He  was  Dr.  George  R.  Chetwood,  my  towns- 
man and  friend ;  eminent  for  his  professional  skill  and 
sterling  virtues ;  and  who  will  testify  that  I  have  taken 
no  traveler's  license  with  the  men,  scenes,  things,  and 
circumstances  which  I  describe. 

I  send  this  volume  forth  after  its  predecessor  with 
the  prayer  to  (rod  that  all  the  good  seed  it  contains 
may  be  widely  scattered  and  permanently  fruitful. 

Kirwan. 
New  York,  August,  1853. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Voyage  opens. — Our  Passengers. — A  Voyage  a  Voyage. — A  Pic- 
ture.— Death  on  Board.— Burial  at  Sea. — An  Ocean  Grave  unde- 
sirable  Page  9 

CHAPTER  II. 
First  Sight  of  Land  — Voyage  Ended.  —  Liverpool. — Dr.  Raffles. — 
Souls  from  Purgatory. — Sabbath  in  Liverpool. — First  Sermon  in 
Britain.— Dr.  Hugh  M'Neil.— Chat  with  a  Lady 15 

CHAPTER  III. 
Ride  from  Liverpool  to  London. — Chat  in  the  Cars. — London. — Sam- 
uel Gurney. — Reform  in  Ireland. — Rev.  Mr.  Jowett. — John  Hen- 
derson.— Dr.  Achilli. — Caution  as  to  Priests 21 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Exeter  Hall.— Meeting  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. — 
Lord  Ashley. — Marquis   of  Cholmondeley. — Earl  of  Harrowby. — 
Sir  Robert  H.  Ingles. — Dr.  Duff". — Salt  among  the  Aristocracy.  Sr7 

CHAPTER  V. 
St.  Paul's.  — The  Tower.— The  Thames.  —  Westminster  Abbey.— 
Stone  of  Destiny. — Regent's  Square  Church. — Dr.  Hamilton. — St. 
James's. — Westminster. — Bishop  Wilberforce 33 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Mr.  Lawrence. — Parliament  House. — House  of  Lords. — Lord  Chan- 
cellor. —  Duke  of  Argyle.  —  Wee  Willie  Skinner.  —  Lord  Grey.  — 
Bishop  Wilberforce. — Tout  ensemble. — Law  Lords. — Sir  Culling 
Eardley . — Badinage 38 

CHAPTER  VII. 
London  to  Dover. — Dover. — A  Voyage  to  Calais. — Official  Imposi- 
tion.— Landing  in  France. — A  true  Picture.— Ride  from  Calais  to 
Paris. — The  Country. — Wind-mills.— People. — A  Dissertation  on 
Vanes 43 


11  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Paris. — Garden  of  the  Tuileries  :  its  Beauty. — Night  Walk.— Palais 
Royal :  its  Gardens. — Arbre  de  Cracovie. — Jardin  des  Plantes. — 
Pere  la  Chaise  :  its  Epitaphs Page  48 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Notre  Dame. — The  Power  of  the  Keys. — A  Shaving  Shop  in  a  Cathe- 
dral.— Hotel  Dieu. — A  Nun  in  a  Circle. — Vincennes. — A  Mistake. 
—Blame  divided.— The  Donjon.— Salle  de  la  Question.— Justice 
will  come 53 

CHAPTER  X. 
Versailles.  —  The  Palace.  —  Picture  Gallery. —  Chapel. — Theatre. — 
Banqueting  Room. — Room  of  Louis  XIV. — Room  of  Death.— Room 
where  was  signed  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantz. — The  Bal- 
cony. —  The  Gardens.  —  Whence  the  Revenues.  —  Causes  of  the 
Revolution. — Bourbon  Dynasty. — Moral  Lessons  of  Versailles.  58 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Bastile. — Lettres  de  Cachet.— Man  of  Iron  Mask. — Column  of  July. — 
Emeute  of  1848  — Place  de  la  Concord. — Obelisk  of  Luxor. — 
Guillotine.— January  21st  and  October  16th,  1793.— National  As- 
sembly Hall. — Confusion. — Republicanism  dishonored 64 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Sabbath  in  Paris.— Madeleine. — Toupet. — The  Interior. — Le  Suisse. 
— Appearance  and  Duties. — A  Funeral. — A  young  Couple  at  Mass. 
— Sights  Seen. — High  Mass. — Bad  Influence  of  Popery  on  Paris.  70 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  pleasant  Meeting  in  the  Madeleine.— Wesleyan  Chapel.— The  Serv- 
ice.— <•  Clothes." — Minister  for  Paris. — Prayer-meeting. — Sabbath 
Evening  Walk. —  Sights  seen. — Reasons  for  French  Character. — 
The  Riddle  solved.— A  Look  at  St.  Germain.— A  Prayer 75 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Exit  from   Paris. — A  Diligence. — Beaune. — Chalons. — Abelard  and 
Heloise. — Face  of  the  Country. — French  Villages. — The  Peasant- 
ry.—The  Saone.— Ladies'  Dress.— Old  Habits  retained.— Ameri- 
can Peculiarity. — A  Digression 82 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Saone.— Lyons  :  its  Appearance— its  History.— Peter  de  Vaud. 
—Revolutionary  Scenes.— Precy.— Couthon.— Collot  d'Herbois.— 


CONTENTS.  Ill 

Horrid  Murders  by  Jacobins. — Festoons  of  Human  Limbs. — Anec- 
dote of  Dr.  Nesbit. — Fouehe. — Death  an  eternal  Sleep. — The  Mob, 
the  most  fearful  of  all  Governments Page  88 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Lyons. — Down  the  Rhine  :  its  Scenery. — Nuns :  their  Appearance. — 
An  Inference. — A  Contrast. —  A  startling  Incident. —  Avignon. — 
Split  in  the  Popedom  :  its  Causes. — The  Popes  of  Avignon :  their 
Palace. — The  butcher  Jourdan. — The  Cathedral. — The  Tarpaean 
Rock. — The  Inquisition.— The  Museum. — Old  Mortality. — A  Con- 
versation with  Mine  Host. — Petrarch  and  Laura 94 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Avignon  to  Marseilles. — Mixed  People. — The  City. — The  Sea. — Po- 
lite Captain. — Marseillaise  Hymn :  its  History. — Dietrick's  Fate. — 
De  Lisle. — Pensioned  by  Louis  Philippe. — The  Hymn  itself..   100 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Sail  to  Leghorn. — A  Day  in  its  Bay. — Robbing  by  Passports. — Leg- 
horn from  the  Sea. — Corsica. — Napoleon. — A  great  Man  a  great 
Need. — Civita  Vecchia  :  its  Fortress. — Placard  on  Notre  Dame. — 
Civita  Vecchia  from  the  Sea. — Ostia. — Bay  of  Naples. — Landing 
in  Italy 107 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Naples. —  Carthusian  Monks. —  The  entire  View. — Vesuvius. — Her- 
culaneum. — Pompeii. —  Cemetery. — The  Morals  of  the  People. — 
Naples  thoroughly  Popish. — Its  Beggars. — Its  Priests. — Its  Igno- 
rance.— Its  Superstitions. — Its  Wickedness. — Its  awful  Despotism. 
— Ferdinand  the  "  Model  King." — The  blessings  of  Popery  ..   113 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Effect  of  a  Feast-day. — San  Carlos. — Mixture. — Capua. — Gaeta  : 
its  Sights. — The  Three  Taverns. — First  Sight  of  Rome. — Italy,  from 
Naples  to  Rome. — The  Face  of  the  Country. — The  People. — Wom- 
an degraded. — Emblems  of  Superstition  every  where. — Mass  in  a 
Village.  —  Light  at  Gaeta.  —  Contrast. — Glorious  Associations. — 
Door  of  Hope 121 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Dreams  realized. — Rome  from  the  Tower  of  the  Capitoline. — The 

Tiber. — The  Seven  Hills. — The  Magnificent  vanishes. — The  Ruins. 

— Bathos. — The  Corso :  its  Appearance. — Afternoon  Walk. — Rome 

in  June. — A  Cause  for  Thankfulness 127 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Object  stated. — Saint  Peter's. — From  Top  to  Bottom. — Chat  in  the 
Basement. — Its  Grandeur  and  Amplitude. — Statue  of  St.  Peter. — 
Its  Worship  disgusting. — Mass  there. — A  disappointed  Confessor. 
— The  Scene  of  the  Rod. — The  Sublime  and  Ridiculous. — The 
Confessional,  or  Tomb  of  St.  Peter. — Poor  Ives's  Emblems  of  Of- 
fice.—The  Wafer  taken.— A  Farce Page  133 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Sistine. — Fresco  of  the  Judgment.  —  Entrance  of  Cardinals. — En- 
trance of  the  Pope. — Salutation  of  the  Pope. — His  Appearance. — 
Anecdote  of  Dr.  Miller. — Questions. — Cardinals. — Antonelli. — How 
to  modify  our  Opinions  and  Ideas. — How  absurd  appear  the  Claims 
of  Popery  in  the  Sistine 139 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Prodigies  of  Roman  History. — Rome  yet  a  City  of  Prodigies. — Juggle 
of  St.  Januarius.  —  Holy  House  of  Loretto.  —  Bambino.  —  Scala 
Sancta. — Maria  Maggiore. — Statue  of  Mary  at  St.  Agostine. — Holy 
Chain  in  St.  Peter's,  in  Vinculo. — Well  in  St.  Maria,  in  Via  Lata. — 
Prayer  in  the  Church  of  St.  Gregory. — Popery  a  prodigious  False- 
hood    145 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Rome  to  be  studied. — Its  numerous  Churches. — Their  Riches  of  Art 
and  Endowment. — Numerous  Priests  and  Nuns. — Poverty  of  the 
People. — Abounding  Beggars. — Way  to  shake  them  off. — Absence 
of  Youth. — The  People  in  Fear. — Despotism,  through  the  Confes- 
sional.— Its  Morals. — No  Religion  there. — The  Voice  of  Rome  to 
the  Nations. — Its  History  not  yet  ended 152 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Leaving  Rome. — A  Procession  of  the  Host. — The  Aurelian  Way. — 
Civita  Vecchia. — Genoa  from  the  Sea. — The  City. — Columbus. — 
Political  History. — Duomo. — Head  of  John  the  Baptist. — Sacro  Ca- 
tino. — Santa  Maria. — An  Evening  Ramble. — Scenes  in  the  Streets. 
— Female  Dress. — Tastes  differ 159 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Departure  from  Genoa. — A  Procession. — The  Goddess  of  the  City.— . 
Primitive  Work. — Ascent  of  the  Apennines. — Descent. — Degraded 
Woman. —  Novi. — Great  Valley,  and  fertile. — Alessandria. —  Ma- 
rengo :  its  Battle. — Dessaix. — Austria. — Haynau  an  Incarnation  of 
Austria. — Enter  Turin. — An  Incident 165 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Turin. — Beautiful  for  Situation. — No  Antiquities. — Growing  rapidly. 
— Charles  Albert  deceived. — His  Death. — Room  in  the  Palace. — 
Spirit  of  the  present  King. — Opposed  by  the  Priests. — Legislature 
of  Turin. — Senate  and  House. — Our  Charge  at  Turin. — Santo  Su- 
dario. — "Worship  with  the  Waldenses  :  their  Chapel. — A  Royal  Peo- 
ple :  their  Doctrines  and  Order. — Turin  a  strong  Point  from  which 
to  act  on  Italy Page  171 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Departure  from  Turin. — Ascent  of  the  Alps. — Changes  in  Vegetation. 
— A  Stream  from  the  Clouds. — Going  down  the  Alps. — Our  Fel- 
low-travelers :  their  Testimony  as  to  Rome.  —  Chambery. — Les 
Charmettes. — Priests  abound. — Holy  Hill. — Praying  in  a  Hurry. — 
To  Geneva. — First  View. — Obvious  Difference. — Friends  in  a  far 
Country 178 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
Geneva:  its  Attractions. — Miniature  of  Mont  Blanc.  —  Missionary 
Anniversary. — The  Oratoire. — A  Drive  up  the  Lake. — Ferney. — 
Voltaire. — Magnificent  View.  —  A  Soiree. — Dr.  Malan.  —  D'Au- 
bigne. — Gaussen. — La  Harpe. — St.  George. — Talk  through  an  In- 
terpreter.— Polite  Interchange. — Love-feasts 185 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
For  Chamouny. — Enter  Sardinia. — Obvious  Change. — Fete  at  Bonne- 
ville.—  The  Ravine.  —  Fall  d'Arpenaz.  —  Bridge  at  St.  Martin's: 
its  View. —  Selling  Echoes. — Ascent  of  Montanvert.  —  Mer  de 
Glace. — Cracks  in  the  Ice. — View  from  the  Cottage. — Snow-ball- 
ing.— Salanche. — Return  to  Geneva 191 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Geneva :  its  Influence. — Calvin  :  his  System. — Knox. — Sunday  in 
Geneva. — The  Market-place. — St.  Peter's. — Gaussen  in  the  Ora- 
toire.— Cathedral  Services. —  Dr.  Malan's  Chapel. — An  Evening 
with  his  Family. —  Sabbath  Desecration. —  Importance  of  rightly 
sanctifying  the  Sabbath. — To  whom  we  owe  its  true  Keeping.  197 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Up  Lake  Lehman. — Lausanne. — Farrel. — Priestly  Profligacy. — Cap- 
tain Packenham.  —  His  Definition.  —  Neufchatel.  —  Needed  Ref- 
ormation. — Farrel's  Visit. — His  Grave. — To  Basle  :  its  Appearance 
— its  History — its  Reformation. — CEcolampadius. — Erasmus  .  204 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Departure  from  Basle.— Valley  of  the  Rhine. — Variety  of  Travelers. 
— Characteristic  Reply. — An  Observer. — A  Question  answered. — 
Strasburg  :  its  wondrous  Clock. — Advice  to  the  Priests. — The  Ca- 
thedral.— An  American  Prelate. — Jews  burned. — Why  no  Relics. 
—Poor  Scotland.— Searched.— To  Baden-Baden Page  211 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Baden-Baden. —  Conversation  House. —  The  Gambling-room. —  The 
Manner  of  the  Game,  and  Gamblers. — Monopoly  in  Gambling ! — 
Hot  Springs. — Their  Manner  of  Use. — The  new  Castle. — Breakfast- 
room. — Underground  Apartments. — Awful  History 217 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
To  Franklort  from  Baden-Baden.— Hotel  Russie.— The  City.— Ca- 
thedral.— Jews'  Quarters. —  Rothschilds. —  Their  History,  and  its 
Lessons. — To  Cassel. — Down  the  Rhine. — Ruins,  and  their  His- 
tory.— The  Rhine  and  Hudson  compared. — Cologne. — The  Dom. — 
Mary  and  Bambino  again. — The  Three  Kings. — The  Bargain  de- 
clined.— An  Inference. — St.  Ursula. — Bridge  of  Boats 223 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
From  Cologne  to  Brussels.— Aix-la-Chapelle :  its  History  and  holy 
Relics. — Brussels. — The  Pare. — Sabbath  in  Brussels. — St.  Gudule. 
— Preaching  in  Flemish. — A  sudden  Stop. — Anecdote  of  Dr.  Nes- 
bit. — High  Mass. — Lifting  the  Pay. — Tour  of  Observation. — Scenes 
in  the  Pare  and  Streets.— The  Manikin:  his  curious  History.— 
The  miraculous  Wafers 230 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

To  Waterloo.— The  Village.— The  Field.— Just  the  Place  for  the 

Battle. — The  dreadful  Spot. — Feelings  excited  there. — Conjectures. 

— Justice  to  Bonaparte. — What  has  England  gained  ? — Through 

Flanders  to  Ostend.— The  Hulk.— Rapid  Flight 237 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
Fleetwood.  —  Bathing  Establishment.  —  State-room  Companion. — 
Landing  in  Ireland. — Introduction  to  the  Assembly. — Dr.  Cook. — 
Dr.  Edgar.— Dr.  Stewart.— Dr.  Dobbin.— Dr.  Carlisle.— Dr.  Dill.— 
Dr.  Goudy.— An  excited  Scene.— Great  Speech  of  Dr.  Cook.— Two 
Bodies  compared. — The  Irish  Way. — A  more  excellent  Way.  244 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Visit  to  Connaught. — Sligo. — Emigrants. — Often  remove  for  the 
Worse. — Camline  —  Famine  Scenes. — A  young  Hero. — The  Dead 
Ass  and  Family. — Industrial  Schools. — Several  visited. — Priestly 
Outrages.— Visit  at  Home.— Great  Changes.— Dublin.— Mr.  King. 
— Dr.  Urwick.— An  Incident.— A  brighter  Day  coming  ..Page  251 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Down  the  LifFey. — Up  the  Clyde.— Glasgow.— John  Henderson. — The 
Cathedral. —  Necropolis. —  M'Gavin. —  Communion  Service. —  To- 
kens and  Tables. —  Pew  Communion. —  Dr.  Gordon. — The  Irish 
Mission.— Gaelic  Chapel. — Dr.  Candlish. — Model  School. — Exam- 
ination.— A  Dinner-party. — Edinburgh  described 258 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

Park.— Rev.  J.  A.  James.— Sail  to  Oban.— Oban.— Royalty  in  Exile. 

—Sail  round  Mull.— Staffa  :  its  Cave.— Iona  :  its  History.— Ruins. 

— Culdees. — Royal  Graves. — The  ruling  Passion.— Stone  Crosses. 

—Talk  on  the  Wheel-box 266 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 
To  Ballahulish.— Glencoe  :  its  Wildness.— Ossian's  Birth-place.— 
Massacre. — Scotch  Bittock. — A  Moor. — Barren  Possessions. —Duke 
of  Breadalbane. — Loch  Lomond. — Sketches  from  Nature. — Invers- 
naid. — A  Cabin. — Loch  Katrine. — Trosachs. — Our  Coachman. — 
Sabbath  in  Callander.— Identity  of  the  Gaelic  and  Irish  Languages. 
— Comparison. — To  Liverpool 273 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
To  Wales.— Menai  Straits.— Tubular  Bridge.— Length.— View  from 
beneath  :  from  the  Top.— Last  View.— Friends  at  Liverpool.— Sail- 
ing.—Voyage.— Passengers.— Last  Evening.— Our  Farewell .  282 


MEN  AND  THINGS 


AS   SEEN   IN   EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  Voyage  opens. — Our  Passengers. — A  Voyage  a  Voyage. — A  Pic- 
ture.— Death  on  Board. — Burial  at  Sea. — An  Ocean  Grave  unde- 
sirable. 

Departure.  At  sea. 

The  morning  of  the  3d  of  April,  1851,  opened  brill- 
iantly. A  bright  blue  sky  had  succeeded  to  the  drip- 
ping clouds  of  the  previous  day.  The  fine  old  packet 
Montezuma,  Captain  DeCourcey,  weighed  anchor,  and 
gave  her  canvas  to  a  favoring  northwester.  Our  sail 
down  the  bay  of  New  York,  with  many  friends  on  board, 
was  as  pleasant  as  could  be  expected ;  and  when  we  bid 
them  farewell  as  they  were  ordered  away,  we  felt,  for 
the  moment,  as  if  some  ties  were  broken  that  might  not 
again  be  united.  Soon  Sandy  Hook  was  passed — soon 
the  Neversink  hills  died  away  in  the  distance,  until 
they  seemed  as  walls  propping  up  the  western  sky; 
and  when  the  hour  for  tea  arrived,  we  could  only  see 
the  heavens  above,  and  a  world  of  waters  around  us. 
"We  were  at  sea. 

When  a  man  in  a  crowded  hotel  is  told  that  he  must 
lodge  in  the  same  room  with  half  a  dozen  of  men,  the 
desire  instinctively  arises  to  know  something  of  them; 
A2 


10  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Our  companions.  A  voyage. 

and  so,  with  an  imprisonment  in  the  cabin  of  a  ship 
for  a  month  before  you,  there  is  a  strong  desire  to 
know  who  are  your  companions.  We  met  together  at 
the  table — we  studied  each  others'  physiognomy — and 
drew  our  own  conclusions.  There  was  the  demure, 
pleasant,  intelligent,  but  dyspeptic  physician ;  the  elo- 
quent, learned,  but  nervous  and  home-sick  divine  ;  the 
plethoric,  gouty,  and  outspoken  Western  banker;  the 
thin,  tall,  sensitive,  singular,  versatile,  imaginative  man 
of  letters  and  fashion,  who  soon  obtained  the  soubriquet 
of  " Professor;"  and  a  short,  stout,  imperturbable  Is- 
raelite, with  an  Abrahamic  visage,  who  soon  answered 
to  the  name  of  "Monsieur  Gibraltar,"  and  who,  from 
the  extent  of  his  travels  as  a  peddler  of  jewelry,  might 
be  taken  for  the  wandering  Jew  himself.  These,  with 
a  few  others,  equally  good  men  but  less  characteristic, 
made  up  our  cabin  company  across  the  Atlantic. 

A  voyage  is  a  voyage  in  all  seas  and  latitudes.  All 
meet  with  the  same  incidents.  They  are  sick,  and 
then  well.  They  are  now  in  calm,  now  in  storm.  Now 
they  ship  a  sea,  and  now  they  see  a  ship.  And  when 
the  passengers  have  used  up  all  their  small  talk — and 
when  the  medium  of  pleasant  intercourse  is  all  ex- 
hausted— and  when  the  weather  is  cold,  and  no  fire  to 
warm  you — and  when  you  are  too  stupid  to  write,  too 
cold  to  read,  and  too  sulky  to  talk;  and  when,  in  addi- 
tion, you  are  beset  by  calms  and  head  winds,  I  know 
of  nothing  more  intolerable  than  a  sea  voyage.  How 
often  did  we  say  that  if  (rod  would  forgive  us  this  time, 
and  return  us  safe  home,  we  would  not  be  caught  com- 
mitting the  sin  of  going  to  sea  again.  But  as  men  soon 
forget,  amid  the  comforts  of  wealth,  the  labor  and  suf- 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  11 

A  passenger.  Case  of  sickness. 

fering  of  its  acquisition,  so  we,  amid  the  new  scenes 
that  opened  upon  us  as  we  traversed  the  Old  World,  soon 
forgot  the  tedium  and  suffering  of  the  voyage,  and  he 
who  complained  most  is  now  the  most  eager  to  try  it 
again. 

One  incident,  of  the  deepest  interest,  occurred  dur- 
ing our  voyage.  There  sat  on  the  forward  deck,  as  we 
went  down  to  the  New  York  bay,  a  young  man  with  a 
wan  cheek,  and  pale  lips,  and  sunken  eye,  which  show- 
ed that  fell  consumption  was  preying  upon  his  vitals. 
He  was  a  young  Irishman  returning  to  his  native  land 
in  search  of  health.  A  female  sat  by  his  side — his  sis- 
ter ;  and  when  the  friends  of  the  passengers  were  ordered 
away,  they  kissed  and  parted,  with  the  strongest  emo- 
tions. A  widowed  mother  was  expecting  him  home ; 
and  this  sister,  with  throbbing  heart,  was  expecting  his 
return,  in  improved  health.     Both  were  disappointed. 

He  was  a  passenger  in  the  second  cabin ;  and  as  the 
winds  and  waves  soon  placed  us  all  on  the  sick-list,  I 
lost  sight  of  him  for  many  days,  and  even  his  first  ap- 
pearance had  passed  away  from  my  memory.  When 
our  voyage  was  about  half  made,  a  female  informed 
me  that  a  young  man  in  her  cabin  was  very  sick,  and 
greatly  needed  religious  instruction.  Being  informed 
that  a  visit  from  me  would  be  agreeable,  I  hastened  to 
his  berth.  My  interview  with  him  was  deeply  affect- 
ing. He  was  a  child  of  Protestant  parents.  On  com- 
ing to  this  country,  he  had  given  up  all  regard  for  reli- 
gious things,  and  lived  only  for  the  world  and  pleasure. 
A  cold  had  grown  into  a  consumption,  which  was  now 
near  its  closing  act;  and  as  tenderly  as  faithfulness 
would  permit,  I  suggested  that,  if  our  voyage  should 


12  MEN    AND    THINGS 

A  visit  to  the  sick.  A  scene  at  midnight. 

be  protracted,  as  there  was  reason  to  fear,  he  might  not 
live  to  its  close.  The  thought  seemed  new  and  over- 
whelming, and  he  turned  away  and  wept.  I  asked 
him  as  to  his  preparation  for  eternity.  I  saw  at  once, 
from  his  answer,  the  need  of  a  protracted  visit ;  and 
taking  my  seat  on  a  greasy  trunk  by  his  side,  I  sought 
to  instruct  him  into  the  way  of  the  Lord.  I  sought  in 
a  variety  of  ways  to  impress  him  with  a  sense  of  his 
own  sinfulness.  I  sought  to  place  Christ  before  him 
as  the  only  way  of  escape  for  sinners — as  the  only  way 
to  heaven ;  and  then,  surrounded  by  his  fellow-passen- 
gers in  the  same  cabin,  I  committed  him  to  Grod  in  pray- 
er, and  especially  implored  that  the  ocean  might  not  be 
made  his  grave.  The  effect  upon  him  was  not  such  as 
I  desired ;  upon  others  it  was  deeply  solemn. 

On  the  day  following  he  greatly  revived,  and  played 
cards.  The  succeeding  Sabbath  was  to  be  Easter  Sun- 
day ;  and,  after  the  manner  of  those  who  regard  such 
times  and  seasons,  he  commenced  his  preparations  to 
keep  it.  "With  him  and  others,  it  was  to  be  a  jolly  day. 
I  sent  kind  inquiries,  and  asked  for  another  interview ; 
but  it  was  declined  for  the  present.  On  Saturday  I 
learned  that  he  was  quite  well,  and  hoped  to  be  on  deck 
on  Sunday.  There  was  a  change  in  the  weather  to- 
ward the  close  of  the  day.  The  wind  increased  the 
tossing  of  the  ship,  and  the  atmosphere  became  quite 
damp.  About  midnight  I  was  called  from  my  berth 
to  do  what  I  could  for  the  dying  man.  I  crowded  my 
way,  half  dressed,  to  his  berth,  where  he  lay  panting 
away  his  life.  The  glaze  of  death  was  already  in  his 
eye.  The  sweat  of  death  was  on  all  his  members. 
His  every  sense  was  closed.     He  was  beyond  all  aid 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  13 


Woman's  sympathy. 


from  man.  The  scene  was  deeply  affecting.  There, 
on  the  bosom  of  the  wide  Atlantic,  at  midnight,  the 
winds  high,  and  the  billows  raging,  lay  a  man,  sur- 
rounded only  by  strangers,  in  the  last  moments  of  his 
existence.  Nor  were  these  strangers  neglectful  of  him. 
Women  were  there,  who  with  maternal  and  sisterly 
solicitude  ministered  to  his  wants  and  wept  over  his 
sufferings.  Feeling  that  he  was  beyond  my  reach,  I 
addressed  myself  to  those  around  me.  The  profane 
swearer,  the  card-player,  the  infidel,  the  Papist  were 
there.  But  death  has  power  to  silence  all  objections, 
and  to  open  all  ears  to  serious  instruction.  I  pointed 
them  to  the  end  of  all  flesh,  and  to  the  need  of  prepara- 
tion for  it;  and  then  implored  grace  from  the  G-od  of 
grace  for  the  dying  and  the  living.  I  retired  to  my 
berth,  not  to  sleep,  but  to  ponder  the  scene  I  had  just 
witnessed,  the  most  solemn  of  my  life. 

At  the  dawn  of  the  morning  it  was  announced  in  my 
state-room  that  he  was  no  more.  Arrangements  wTere 
made  for  his  burial  after  breakfast.  At  the  hour  ap- 
pointed the  corpse  was  brought  on  deck,  sewed  up  in 
sail  cloth,  with  a  weight  attached  to  its  feet.  It  was 
laid  upon  a  plank,  one  end  of  which  extended  over  the 
side  of  the  ship,  and  the  other  rested  on  the  long  boat. 
The  flag  of  our  country,  with  its  stars  and  stripes,  cov- 
ered the  capstan,  on  which  lay  a  Bible.  The  passen- 
gers and  crew  were  all  assembled.  There  were  vet- 
eran tars  and  veteran  sinners;  but  all  were  affected. 
There  were  Protestants  and  Papists ;  but  all  heard  with 
equal  interest.  I  spoke  from  the  text,  "And  the  sea 
gave  up  the  dead  which  were  in  it."  And  as  the  great 
truths  pertaining  to  the  resurrection  were  unfolded,  and 


14  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Burial  at  sea.  A  grave  there  not  desirable. 

as  the  picture  was  drawn  of  the  wide  sea,  whose  waves 
seemed  to  be  singing  a  death  dirge  around  us,  giving 
up  all  its  dead,  a  solemn  stillness  pervaded  the  mixed 
congregation.  The  order  was  now  given  to  bury  the 
corpse ;  when  two  sailors  gently  raised  the  end  of  the 
plank  which  rested  on  the  long  boat,  and  it  slid  into 
its  ocean  grave.     One  plunge,  and  all  was  over. 

"While  it  makes  but  little  difference  where  the  body 
is  laid,  if  the  spirit  is  only  prepared  for  its  home  in  the 
skies,  yet  there  is  something  greatly  undesirable  in  a 
burial  at  sea.  Death  at  sea  is  usually  not  expected 
there.  Friends  are  usually  absent.  A  grave  there  is 
away  from  the  sepulchres  of  our  fathers.  No  mother's 
tears  can  bedew  it — no  stone  can  mark  our  resting- 
place — no  hand  of  affection  can  plant  the  cypress,  the 
yew,  or  the  willow  at  our  head ;  no  green  grass  in  the 
spring,  an  emblem  of  the  resurrection,  will  ever  cover 
our  narrow  house.  Our  bones  may  rest  as  securely 
among  its  pearls  and  corals  as  on  land,  but  the  wide, 
wild  waste  above  has  no  attractions.  And  as  the  noise 
of  that  one  plunge  sounded  through  the  ship,  the  silent 
prayer  ascended  from  my  heart  to  Heaven,  "  0  Lord,  if 
consistent  with  thy  holy  will,  let  none  of  my  descend- 
ants to  the  remotest  generation  find  their  grave  in  the 
ocean." 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  15 

Sight  of  land.  Liverpool  docks. 


CHAPTER   II. 

First  Sight  of  Land. — Voyage  Ended. — Liverpool.  —  Dr.  Raffles.— 
Souls  from  Purgatory. — Sabbath  in  Liverpool. — First  Sermon  in 
Britain.— Dr.  Hugh  M'Neil.— Chat  with  a  Lady. 

"We  were  all  weary  of  the  sea,  and  were  as  anxious 
for  a  sight  of  land  as  they  who  watch  for  the  morning. 

"  Captain,"  said  one  of  our  passengers  at  dinner,  who 
went  by  the  name  of  "Colonel  of  Mooney's  brigade," 
"when  shall  we  see  land?" 

"About  four  this  afternoon,"  was  the  reply.  "We 
mustered  on  deck,  and  at  four  the  southern  coast  of 
Ireland  lay  dimly  in  view,  and  before  the  day  closed 
rose  fully  upon  us.  With  what  sailors  call  a  "  soldier's 
wind,"  we  beat  along  the  Channel  as  we  could.  With 
the  rock-bound  shores  of  Erin  in  full  view,  we  passed 
"  old  head  of  Kinsale,"  and  afterward  the  "  Tuscar 
light,"  and  "  Holyhead,"  and  the  "  Skerries,"  when  our 
gallant  ship  turned  her  head  toward  Liverpool.  Soon 
a  pilot  was  on  board;  and  a  "tug"  took  us  in  tow; 
and  our  sails  were  furled ;  and  at  about  ten  o'clock  on 
the  night  of  the  first  of  May  we  turned  into  one  of  the 
Royal  Docks  for  which  that  city  is  famed.  These  docks 
are  easily  described.  Deep  and  vast  excavations  are 
made  on  the  banks  of  the  Mersey,  which  are  surround- 
ed with  solid  masonry.  These  connect  with  the  river 
by  gates,  like  those  which  form  the  locks  on  our  ca- 
nals.   When  the  tide  is  full,  which  rises  very  high  there, 


16  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Liverpool.  Dr.  Raffles 

these  gates  are  opened,  and  vessels  of  any  burden  pass 
in  and  out  at  pleasure.  When  the  tide  commences 
falling,  these  gates  are  closed,  and  ships  of  any  tonnage 
ride  within  them  in  perfect  safety.  Such  docks  re- 
quire only  a  high  tide  and  mercantile  enterprise  to  be 
made  any  where. 

Liverpool  is  purely  a  commercial  city,  displaying  lit- 
tle of  either  taste  or  beauty.  There  is  much  wealth, 
and  solid  worth,  and-  active  philanthropy  there ;  but  its 
public  buildings  possess  no  architectural  beauty;  its 
most  fashionable  residences  look  plain  and  dingy ;  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Prince's  Park,  which  lies  outside 
the  city,  we  observed  not  a  place,  or  a  spot  to  be  com- 
pared with  any  of  the  parks,  or  many  of  the  streets 
which  adorn  New  York  or  Philadelphia.  Save  for  a 
man  of  business,  I  consider  it  a  most  uninviting  place 
of  residence. 

The  name  of  Dr.  Raffles,  for  many  years  a  distin- 
guished minister  of  that  city,  is  quite  familiar  to  our 
American  ears.  Through  a  mutual  friend,  rising  to  a 
distinguished  rank  among  the  merchants  of  that  city, 
I  had  a  most  pleasant  introduction  to  him.  He  invited 
us  to  breakfast.  We  went  at  half  past  eight,  and  left 
at  ten  o'clock.  The  visit  was  remarkably  pleasant. 
He  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  of  full  habit,  with  a 
full  and  fresh  English  face;  his  external  man  strongly 
recalling  to  memory  the  late  Dr.  Codman,  of  Dorches- 
ter. He  is  full  of  information — free  and  frank  in  con- 
versation— abounding  in  anecdote  ;  and  these,  connect- 
ed and  enlivened  with  a  vein  of  humor  and  wit,  make 
him  a  most  agreeable  companion.  Although  probably 
turned  of  sixty  years,  he  is  yet  in  the  full  moon  of  life, 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  17 

An  anecdote.  Priestly  fraud.  A  soul  from  Purgatory. 

and  the  active,  efficient,  beloved  pastor  of  one  of  the 
largest  congregations  of  that  commercial  emporium. 
With  dramatic  humor,  which  exhausted  all  our  power 
of  laughter,  he  narrated  some  incidents,  illustrating 
the  absurdities  of  Popery,  and  the  gross  frauds  prac- 
ticed by  the  priests  upon  their  people.  Of  these  the 
following  is  a  specimen. 

An  Englishman  in  Ireland  was  introduced  to  a  Popish 
chapel  there,  when  souls  were  to  be  delivered  from  Pur- 
gatory. The  place  was  brilliantly  lighted.  The  priest 
sat  at  a  table  on  which  the  relatives  of  the  departed, 
whose  souls  were  to  be  released,  laid  money  as  they 
passed.  Having  collected  his  wages,  the  priest  com- 
menced his  operations,  and  soon  announced  that  the 
souls  were  liberated,  and  would  speedily  make  their  ap- 
pearance. Immediately  a  part  of  the  floor  opened,  and 
there  issued  from  it  small  living  creatures  of  red  color, 
to  the  joyful  amazement  of  all  present.  One  of  these 
creatures  jumped  near  to  the  Englishman,  who  seized 
it,  and,  putting  it  in  his  pocket,  rushed  out.  Breath- 
less, he  soon  entered  the  parlor  of  his  friend,  exclaim- 
ing, as  he  flung  the  living  creature  upon  the  table, 
"There  is  a  soul  just  delivered  from  Purgatory."  It 
was  found  to  be  a  frog  dressed  in  red  flannel !  He  was 
told,  as  he  valued  his  life,  not  to  reveal  the  deception, 
at  least  until  he  had  crossed  the  Channel. 

While  it  is  difficult  to  give  credence  to  a  story  like 
this,  those  acquainted  with  the  many  uses  made  of  Pur- 
gatory to  filch  money  from  the  pockets  of  the  ignorant 
and  superstitious  will  not  deem  it  incredible.  But  it 
requires  the  Doctor's  manner  to  give  it  the  effect  which 
it  produced  upon  us.     He  suited  admirably  the  action 


18  MEN    AND    THINGS 

First  Sabbath.  Happy  beginning.  Dr.  M'Neil. 

to  the  word,  a  species  of  eloquence  which  can  not  be 
printed. 

My  first  sermon  in  Europe,  and  the  last,  was  preach- 
ed in  the  pulpit  of  this  distinguished  minister.  I  met 
him,  previous  to  the  service,  in  the  vestry,  surrounded 
by  his  deacons.  The  sexton  was  there  to  put  on  the 
gown  and  bands,  which  are  universally  worn  by  all 
classes  of  ministers  in  Europe.  The  Bible  and  hymn 
book  are  taken  to  the  pulpit  before  the  preacher  enters 
it.  The  minister  then  passes  into  the  church  preceded 
by  the  sexton,  who  opens  the  pulpit  door  for  him  and 
shuts  him  in.  Then  the  services  commence,  and  are 
conducted  in  form  and  fashion  as  in  our  best  regula- 
ted Presbyterian  churches.  On  this  occasion  the  Doc- 
tor conducted  the  introductory  services  with  a  propri- 
ety, solemnity,  and  unction  which  made  them  deeply 
impressive,  mingling  with  his  supplications  a  devout 
thanksgiving  for  my  happily-ended  voyage,  and  for  my 
merciful  deliverance  from  the  perils  of  the  deep.  The 
services  ended  with  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  in  which  I  was  permitted  to  unite.  I  deem- 
ed the  whole  service  a  merciful  beginning  and  a  hap- 
py omen  of  my  subsequent  Sabbaths  and  rambles  in 
Europe. 

On  the  evening  of  the  Sabbath,  in  company  with  two 
friends,  I  went  out  to  hear  Dr.  Hugh  M'Neil,  at  Prince's 
Park.  He  is  noted  as  an  eloquent  preacher — as  an 
evangelical  minister — as  a  controversialist — a  millena- 
rian — and  a  most  bitter  Tory  politician.  It  is  said  that 
on  election  eras  he  preaches  politics,  as  on  other  occa- 
sions he  preaches  Christ.  I  was  sorry  to  hear  this. 
His  church  is  large,  and  cruciform ;  and  in  the  modern 


AS     SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  19 

Evening  at  Prince's  Park.  The  sermon. 

style  of  Church  architecture.  A  police  officer  stood  at 
each  of  its  doors  to  regulate  carriages  and  the  goers  in. 
We  were  ordered  by  one  of  these  officers  from  one  door 
to  another,  and  were  kept  standing  in  the  aisle  until 
service  commenced,  and  might  have  stood  there  to  its 
close  but  for  the  recognition  of  my  friend  by  a  pew  own- 
er. The  introductory  services  were  conducted  by  an 
assistant  or  curate  ;  and,  when  ended,  the  Doctor  en- 
tered the  pulpit.  He  is  a  tall,  slender  man,  straight 
as  an  arrow,  with  grayish  hair,  and  a  face  of  Scotch- 
Irish  cast ;  for  all  the  world  from  his  neck  up  like  Pro- 
fessor Mulligan  of  New  York.  Judging  from  his  face, 
any  body  would  say  that  he  was  predestinated  to  be  a 
Presbyterian,  and  of  the  deepest  blue.  He  was  born 
in  Ireland.  He  took  his  text  from  a  small  Bible  which 
he  held  in  his  hand,  and  which  he  never  laid  down  du- 
ring the  exercise.  His  sermon  was  extempore,  calm, 
expository,  truly  scriptural,  and  exceedingly  impressive. 
It  contained  some  passages  of  great  strength,  in  which 
he  scornfully  scouted  any  definition  of  the  Church 
which  would  exclude  from  it  any  who  truly  believe  on 
Christ,  and  in  which  he  gave  to  Popery  "  forty  save 
one."  All  my  feelings  were  in  sympathy  with  the  man 
and  his  subject ;  and  I  did  not  wonder  that  he  had 
been  once  a  competitor  for  the  highest  popularity  with 
Irving  in  London.     He  was  beaten  by  the  Scot. 

I  could  not  help  saying,  at  the  close  of  the  service, 
to  the  lady  by  whose  side  I  sat,  "  I  hope  you  feel  thank- 
ful to  G-od  for  a  minister  so  truthful  and  able."  "  I 
hope  we  do,  sir,"  she  replied,  taking  me  cordially  by 
the  hand.  "  And  who  will  I  tell  him  was  so  gratified 
in  hearing  him  this  evening  ?"  she  asked.     "  "Will  you 


20  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Talk  with  a  lady.  Oxfordism  denounced. 

return  him  the  thanks  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman 
from  America  for  his  excellent  sermon,  and  who  spends, 
to-day,  his  first  Sabbath  in  England?"  was  my  reply. 
She  again  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  with  a  radiant 
face  replied,  "  I  will  go  to  the  vestry  and  do  it  instantly.', 
And  as  I  returned  from  the  Church,  I  could  not  help 
wishing  that  some  of  our  narrow,  and  selfish,  and  ex- 
clusive ministers  of  the  High- Church  cut,  in  our  own 
free  country,  could  have  heard  Dr.  M'Neil  with  me  on 
that  occasion.  The  Low-Church  ministers  of  England 
are  far  more  outspoken  than  in  this  country.  Not 
merely  Oxfordism,  but  the  exclusive  dogmas  of  High- 
Churchism,  which  give  over  other  Christians  to  uncove- 
nanted  mercies,  they  denounce  in  words  that  burn. 
They  are  not  dependent,  as  here,  upon  the  bishops,  for 
their  places  and  stipends.  There  is  no  pecuniary  mo- 
tive to  silence.  Never  will  I  forget  the  lashing  which 
the  noble  stammering  Bishop  Daly  gave  them — of 
which  more  anon. 

Thus  was  spent  my  first  Sabbath  in  England. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  21 

Leaving  Liverpool.  Comparisons. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Ride  from  Liverpool  to  London. — Chat  in  the  Cars. — London. — Sam- 
uel Gurney. — Reform  in  Ireland. — Rev.  Mr.  Jowett. — John  Hen- 
derson.— Dr.  Achilli. — Caution  as  to  Priests. 

The  Station-house  at  Liverpool  is  quite  an  affair, 
and  is  managed  with  a  quietness  and  promptness  which 
surprises  those  who  only  know  the  hustle,  noise,  and 
rudeness  of  railway  depots  and  officials  in  America. 
The  railway  cars  are  divided  into  three  apartments, 
each  containing  six  persons.  With  the  assistance  of  an 
English  lady,  well-bred  and  intelligent,  and  somewhat 
beyond  the  medium  dimensions,  there  were  enough  of 
us  from  America  to  fill  one  of  the  departments.  We 
were  off  at  the  appointed  moment — we  were  soon  lost 
in  the  darkness  of  the  tunnel  through  which  you  leave 
the  city — and  after  you  emerge  again  into  the  light, 
the  villas,  the  cultivation,  the  green  swards,  the  beau- 
tiful hedge-rows  of  Old  England  opened  upon  our  view. 
Soon  we  commenced  our  comparisons  of  things  in  our 
own  country  with  those  which  every  where  attracted 
our  attention,  and  the  truth  of  the  old  adage,  "  compar- 
isons are  odious,"  was  soon  apparent  in  the  conduct  of 
our  English  friend.  With  noble  heroism,  she  ad- 
vanced to  the  defense  of  "  her  own,  her  native  land." 
We  admired  her  cleverness  and  shrewdness,  while 
we  could  not  help  a  smile  occasionally  at  her  ignorance 
of  our  country.     We  had  many  a  pass,  as  pleasant  as 


22  MEN     AND    THINGS 

A  chat.  A.  surrender.  London. 

they  were  mirthful,  which  made  us  forget  that  we 
were  flying  toward  London  at  the  rate  of  nearly  fifty 
miles  an  hour.  At  length,  when  pushed  a  little  hard- 
er than  politeness  toward  a  lady  would  warrant  from 
Americans,  she  sought  to  silence  us  all  by  the  magnifi- 
cent sentence,  "  but  all  that  man,  wealth,  cultivation, 
and  taste  can  do,  they  have  done  for  England." 

"  True,  madam,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  but  all  that  (rod 
can  do  he  has  done  for  our  country.  Man  has  made 
England,  but  God  has  made  America." 

"  I  give  up,  I  give  up,"  she  replied,  with  a  hearty 
laugh.  Soon  we  reached  London,  and  separated,  feel- 
ing that  some,  at  least,  of  the  spice  of  life  consists  in 
variety  of  opinion,  and  not  esteeming  each  other  the 
less  because  of  it.  The  blunt  honesty  of  the  English, 
even  when  it  approaches  rudeness,  as  it  often  does,  in 
the  advocacy  of  what  they  esteem  right,  is  much  more 
to  my  taste  than  the  gum-elastic  pliancy  of  the  French, 
who  sacrifice  every  thing  to  politeness. 

We  are  now  in  London,  the  world's  Babel,  and  its 
greatest  centre  of  influence.  It  is  so  well  known,  and 
is  so  much  like  some  of  the  older  parts  of  some  of  our 
older  cities,  that  I  shall  not  undertake  to  describe  it. 
After  taking  rooms  at  Woods',  High  Holborn,  and  ar- 
ranging our  money  affairs  for  the  Continent,  we  went 
out  to  do  duty  and  to  see  sights.  My  first  call  was 
upon  Samuel  Grurney,  the  brother  of  the  well  known 
John  I.  Grurney,  and  of  Mrs.  Fry,  to  whom  I  had  a 
note  of  introduction  from  the  late  Dr.  Grriscom,  of  sci- 
entific and  philanthropic  memory.  He  is  a  plain  Qua- 
ker, wearing  the  full  dress  of  his  people,  of  strong  phys- 
ical development,  and  of  a  pleasing  benignant  aspect. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  23 

Samuel  Gurney.  Mr.  Jowett.  His  warm  reply. 

He  is  at  the  head  of  a  large  banking  house,  and  his 
time  and  fortune  are  freely  devoted  to  all  efforts  to  do 
good.  He  well  sustains  the  reputation  of  a  family 
which  has  an  American  as  well  as  a  European  reputa- 
tion for  well  doing.  He  offered  me  the  hospitalities  of 
his  house,  and  to  introduce  me  to  some  of  the  benevo- 
lent institutions  of  the  city,  which  my  other  arrange- 
ments compelled  me  to  decline.  He  stated,  among 
other  efforts  to  do  good,  one  in  which  he  and  some  of 
his  friends  were  engaged  in  reference  to  Ireland,  which 
consisted  in  buying  large  tracts  of  land,  sold  under  a 
recent  act  of  Parliament,  and  then  reselling  them  in 
small  farms,  in  fee  simple,  to  the  farmers  of  the  coun- 
try. This  plan,  if  made  universal,  would  soon  work 
the  redemption  and  elevation  of  that  unhappy  island. 

Thence  I  went  to  the  rooms  of  the  British  and  For- 
eign Bible  Society,  which  was  to  hold  its  anniversary 
on  the  following  day,  and  delivered  my  credentials  as 
a  delegate  from  its  sister  society  in  America,  and  was 
most  kindly  and  cordially  received  by  its  secretaries. 
I  there  met  the  venerable  Mr.  Jowett,  brother  of  the 
famed  missionary  in  the  East.  He  is  a  man  of  middle 
size,  gray,  and  perfectly  blind.  He  was  led  about  by 
a  young  girl.  After  a  brief  conversation,  in  which  he 
showed  a  heart  intensely  alive  to  the  cause  of  Christ, 
I  rose  to  take  my  departure,  saying,  "  We  shall  soon 
be  where  we  can  both  speak  to  and  see  one  another." 
He  instantly  replied,  with  a  warm  pressure  of  the  hand, 
"  We  shall  see  Christ  as  he  is,  which  is  far  better."  I 
was  deeply  affected  by  the  sight  of  the  apostolical  man, 
laid  aside,  in  Providence,  from  his  labors,  led  about  by 
the  hand  of  a  maid,  with  sightless  eye-balls  seeking 


24  MEN     AND    THINGS 

J.  Henderson.  Dr.  Achilli.  His  person. 

light  and  finding  none.  How  joyful  must  be  the  an- 
ticipations of  Heaven  to  such  a  saint,  just  putting  off 
his  harness ! 

At  a  meeting  for  prayer,  held  morning  and  evening 
at  our  hotel,  I  was  introduced  to  John  Henderson,  Esq., 
of  Park,  one  of  the  princely  merchants  of  Glasgow,  who 
came  up  to  London  to  preside  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Tract  Society.  He  is  a  well-known  friend  of  the  re- 
ligious press,  was  the  chief  agent  in  getting  up  and 
getting  out  the  prize  essays  on  the  Sabbath,  one  of 
which  is  entitled  "  The  Pearl  of  Days,"  and  also  a  most 
valuable  volume,  which  has  not  been  reprinted  in  this 
country,  entitled  "  The  Christian  Sabbath,"  and  which 
consists  of  a  series  of  sermons  by  some  of  the  ablest 
clergymen  of  North  and  South  Britain.  From  this 
gentleman  and  Christian,  from  whom  I  received  many 
acts  of  kindness  both  in  London  and  Scotland,  I  re- 
ceived an  invitation  to  breakfast  at  his  rooms,  in  com- 
pany with  the  far-famed  Dr.  Achilli.  Greatly  desir- 
ous of  an  interview  with  this  reformed  priest,  I  accept- 
ed the  invitation. 

We  met  at  eight  at  the  rooms  of  Mr.  Henderson,  and 
separated  at  ten.  Dr.  Achilli,  an  Italian  by  birth,  a 
Papist  and  priest  by  education,  and  subsequently  a 
popular  preacher  and  professor,  is  now,  as  the  world 
knows,  a  Protestant.  His  imprisonment  in  the  Inqui- 
sition, his  escape  thence,  the  charges  preferred  against 
him  by  Father  Newman  and  Cardinal  Wiseman,  and 
the  developments  made  in  the  recent  trial  of  Newman 
for  slander,  have  given  him  great  notoriety.  He  is  a 
short  man,  firmly  built,  with  jet  black  hair,  and  a  black 
and  restless  eye.     His  age  may  be  an  advance  on  for- 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  25 

His  manners.  A  translator.  My  opinion. 

ty  years.  His  manners  are  pleasant,  and  in  conversa- 
tion he  is  free — decidedly  talkative.  Although  his  En- 
glish was  very  broken,  and  my  Italian  in  a  far  worse 
condition,  we  needed  no  interpreter.  Beyond  all  men 
that  I  ever  heard,  he  was  dead  upon  Popery  and  the 
priests.  His  competency  as  a  witness  none  can  ques- 
tion. And,  until  I  saw  Naples  and  Rome  for  myself, 
I  supposed  his  fierce  persecution  by  his  former  friends 
gave  a  tinge  of  bitterness  to  his  testimony.  Now  I  can 
believe  any  thing  as  to  the  shameless  immoralities  and 
gross  corruption  of  the  Italian  priests.  He  said  he  was 
engaged  in  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament  into 
Italian  for  the  Baptist  Bible  Society  of  New  York.  We 
had  quite  a  discussion  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  word 
"  baptize,"  in  which  he  showed  but  little  acquaintance 
with  the  history  of  the  controversy  or  with  the  Greek, 
and  in  which  he  admitted  the  validity  of  baptism  by 
water,  in  any  quantity,  while  he  betrayed  a  preference 
to  the  mode  by  immersion. 

I  am  free  to  confess  that  I  was  not  so  favorably  im- 
pressed as  I  expected  to  have  been.  It  is  hard  thor- 
oughly to  purge  a  man  from  the  virus  of  Popery,  who 
has  practiced  for  years  together  the  wicked  jugglery 
of  its  priesthood.  Grod  can  do  it ;  but,  as  a  rule,  we 
should  wait  for  good  evidence  that  it  is  done.  The 
barrel,  emptied  of  a  bitter  liquid,  long  retains  its  scent 
and  its  taste.  I  have  read  the  Newman  trial  with 
some  care ;  and  while  it  pours  confusion  upon  Rome 
and  her  priests,  I  confess  I  should  not  wonder  if  there 
were  some  grounds  for  the  charges  against  Achilli. 
"What  reason  have  we  to  suppose  that,  while  a  priest  in 
Italy,  he  did  not  live  as  do  Italian  priests  ?     But  since 

B 


26  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Converted  priests.  Care  requisite. 

his  hopeful  conversion,  every  effort  and  witness  failed 
to  prove  moral  delinquency.  May  he  endure  to  the 
end  and  be  saved. 

As  light  and  truth  are  extending,  Papal  priests  are 
surrendering  their  wicked  and  deceptive  trade,  and 
the  number  of  such  must  increase  from  year  to  year. 
But  Protestant  churches  should  know  that  conversion 
from  Popery  is  not  conversion  to  Christ.  And  we 
should  wait  for  more  than  ordinary  evidence  as  to  the 
conversion  of  a  man  who  spent  years  in  converting  a 
wafer  into  (rod,  in  hearing  confessions  and  forgiving 
sins  for  fifty  cents  a  head,  in  massing  souls  out  of  Pur- 
gatory, and  in  deceiving  ignorant  people  by  other  priest- 
ly fabrications,  before  we  admit  him  to  the  privileges 
and  immunities  of  the  Christian  Church.  It  takes  time 
thoroughly  to  imbue  a  mind  with  the  spiritualism  of 
Christianity  which  has  long  been  accustomed  to  re- 
gard it  as  a  matter  of  ceremony. 


ASSEENINEUROPE.  2? 

British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  Exeter  Hall.  No  pretension. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Exeter  Hall. — Meeting  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. — 
Lord  Ashley. — Marquis  of  Cholmondeley. — Earl  of  Harrowby. — 
Sir  Robert  H.  Ingles. — Dr.  Duff. — Salt  among  the  Aristocracy. 

The  meeting  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety is  the  great  anniversary  of  London.  The  great 
rally  of  Protestantism  is  on  its  platform.  There,  all 
who  receive  the  Bible  as  the  all-sufficient  Rule  of 
Faith — forgetting  all  minor  differences — meet,  and  re- 
joice together  in  the  privileges  and  blessings  of  our 
common  Christianity.  Accompanied  by  a  few  friends, 
we  went  early  to  the  Committee-room  at  Exeter  Hall, 
where  we  were  introduced  to  the  officers  of  the  society, 
the  speakers,  and  to  the  noblemen,  gentlemen,  and 
clergymen,  who  were  present  in  considerable  number. 
At  the  appointed  hour  we  entered,  by  a  side  door,  the 
platform  of  the  hall  itself,  headed  by  Lord  Ashley,  the 
president,  and  were  received  with  applause  by  the 
crowd  of  spectators.  This  famous  hall  is  a  large 
oblong  room,  without  galleries,  with  an  elevated  plat- 
form at  one  end,  and  the  seats  rising  toward  the  other. 
It  reminds  an  American,  not  so  much  of  the  Tabernacle 
at  New  York,  as  of  the  Musical  Fund  Hall  of  Phila- 
delphia. Being  the  representative  of  our  American 
Bible  Society,  I  was  assigned  a  prominent  seat,  next 
but  one  to  the  President ;  and,  although  surrounded  by 
the  nobles  of  the  land  and  the  dignitaries  of  the  Church, 


28  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Lord  Ashley.  His  appearance.  Cholmondeley 

they  were  as  plain  and  as  unpretending  men  in  their 
appearance  as  we  ever  meet  in  good  society.  In  point 
of  pretension,  a  New  York  clerk  or  Puseyite  priest 
would  beat  any  of  them. 

After  the  reading  of  a  portion  of  Scripture,  Lord 
Ashley,  who  then  presided  for  the  first  time  as  presi- 
dent, rose,  and  uttered  a  hrief  but  noble  speech.  It 
was  mil  of  sense,  piety,  and  noble  Protestantism.  And 
when  he  uttered  the  sentence,  "  the  evangelization  of 
the  nations  and  the  peace  of  the  world  depend  upon 
the  full,  free,  and  universal  circulation  of  the  Word  of 
Grod,"  a  plaudit  rose  from  the  vast  assembly,  loud  and 
long,  which  it  was  good  to  hear.  This  nobleman,  now 
the  Earl  of  Shaftsbury,  is  making  his  mark  upon  his 
age.  He  is  at  the  head  of  the  Ragged  School  system, 
if  not  its  originator.  He  is  devoting  his  fortune,  the 
influence  of  his  position,  and  his  personal  industry,  to 
the  instruction  and  elevation  of  the  lowest  classes  of 
society.  He  is  yet  in  mid-life,  tall,  spare,  of  light  com- 
plexion, easy,  kind,  and  modest  in  manner,  and  bear- 
ing a  most  striking  resemblance  to  the  lamented  Dr. 
Kearney  Rodgers,  of  New  York.  "  May  he  live,"  in 
the  language  of  the  Celestials,  "a  thousand  years." 

There  sat  down  by  my  side  a  small  man  shortly  after 
the  meeting  opened,  who  was  greeted  with  some  "  ruf- 
fling" as  he  entered  by  the  side  door.  During  the  read- 
ing of  the  report,  he  was  making  marks  on  the  floor 
with  a  small  ratan.  "  The  first  resolution  will  be  of- 
fered by  the  Marquis  of  Cholmondeley,"  said  the  Presi- 
dent, when,  to  my  no  little  amazement,  up  jumped  my 
left-hand  neighbor,  offered  the  resolution,  and  made 
quite  a  speech.     I  had  no  idea  I  was  so  near  a  marquis, 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  29 

Harrowby.  Sir  R.  H.  Ingles.  His  speech  and  person. 

and  while  I  saw  in  his  address  but  little  thought  or 
force,  the  audience  must  have  seen  it  full  of  both,  as 
they  clapped  him  most  profusely.  But  I  soon  saw  that 
the  clapping  always  rose  or  fell  with  the  title  of  the 
speaker.  "We  had  a  similar  speech  from  the  Earl  of 
Harrowby,  which  for  its  fulsome  eulogy  of  the  new 
president  was  intolerable,  and  whose  redeeming  quality 
was  a  vein  of  earnest  piety. 

The  name  of  Sir  Robert  H.  Ingles,  then  member  of 
Parliament  for  Oxford,  was  announced.  He  is  a  man 
of  mark  in  the  House,  and  his  connection  with  Ro- 
manizing Oxford  excited  some  interest.  He  has  ren- 
dered himself  quite  famous  recently  by  his  awful  re- 
view of  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  in  which  he  leaves  nei- 
ther root  nor  branch  of  that  vain,  turbulent,  selfish, 
but  very  clever  prelate,  who  once  honestly  wrote  a 
powerful  pamphlet  against  Catholic  emancipation,  and 
then  answered  it  for  a  mitre ;  and  who  exercises  his 
apostolical  functions  and  patronage  so  discreetly  as  to 
pension  almost  all  his  poor  relations  with  fat  offices. 
The  speech  of  the  noble  baronet  was  truly  excellent ; 
and  a  feeling  of  deep  solemnity  pervaded  the  entire 
auditory  when  he  said  with  emotion  and  self-applica- 
tion, "  No  man  ought  to  stand  up  here  to  advocate  the 
diffusion  of  the  Bible,  unless  he  makes  it  his  first  duty 
to  regulate  his  own  life  and  heart  by  its  precepts. 
Whether  we  have  placed  the  Bible  or  not  in  the  hands 
of  the  negro,  the  Esquimaux,  or  the  Chinese,  matters 
little  to  any  of  us  personally,  unless  we  have  the  Bible 
in  our  own  hearts."  Sir  Robert  is  a  large,  portly  man, 
with  a  full,  rosy  face,  fluent  utterance,  decidedly  and 
subjectively  pious,  and  was,  on  the  whole  the  most  per- 


30  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Bishop  of  Cashel.  His  person  and  speech. 

feet  personification  of  an  Englishman  on  the  platform. 
Unless  he  relishes  his  roast  beef,  his  plum  pudding, 
and  his  mug  of  ale,  he  should  have  his  outer  man  in- 
dicted for  hearing  false  testimony  against  him. 

The  Bishop  of  Cashel  was  announced  from  the  chair, 
and  my  right-hand  neighbor  was  on  his  feet  in  a  mo- 
ment. He  seemed  eager  for  the  opportunity.  He  is 
a  strongly  built,  frank,  stammering  Irishman,  with 
clearly  defined  principles  and  strong  emotions.  And 
how  fearfully  he  lashed  High-Churchism  and  Oxford- 
ism  !  Much  as  I  dislike  both  of  them,  I  felt  like  ask- 
ing my  brother  bishop  to  have  a  little  mercy.  "  Noth- 
ing," he  said,  "  promotes  Roman  Catholicism  like  de- 
parting in  any  thing  from  the  Scriptures.  If  the  sim- 
ple Scriptures  had  been  adhered  to  in  certain  portions 
of  our  Church,  we  should  never  have  heard,  first,  of  the 
semi-popery,  and  then  of  the  whole  popery  of  those  who 
have  left  a  stain  upon  the  Church  which  they  have 
deserted.  Long  before  people  knew  they  had  a  tinge 
of  Popery,  they  were  too  High- Church  to  be  members 
of  the  Bible  Society.  They  have  deserted  the  Church 
of  England,  but  they  have  not  deserted  the  Bible  So- 
ciety, for  they  never  belonged  to  it."  Would  that  those 
in  our  country,  in  and  out  of  the  Episcopal  denomina- 
tion, who  are  for  treating  High-Churchism  in  its  mod- 
ern developments  gingerly,  could  have  heard  the  lash- 
ing given  it  by  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Cashel,  in  Exeter 
Hall.  It  would  have  nerved  their  energies  to  treat  its 
assumptions  as  they  richly  deserve.  Bad,  in  many  re- 
spects, as  is  the  Irish  establishment,  it  has  too  much 
of  Popery  around  it  to  fall  in  love  with  any  of  its  tricks 
or  devices.     There  is  no  Puseyism  in  Ireland.     There 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  31 

Dr.  Duff.  His  manner  of  speaking. 

should  be  none  within  the  wide  domain  of  Protestant- 
ism. 

But,  beyond  all  question,  the  man  of  the  meeting  was 
Dr.  Duff,  the  great  Scotch  missionary  at  Calcutta.  I 
had  heard  of  him — I  had  read  his  powerful  and  moving 
addresses  and  communications,  but  now  I  saw  and 
heard  him.  The  day  was  chilly,  and  he  sat  near  me, 
wrapped  up  in  a  cloak.  He  is  quite  tall,  probably  six 
feet  two  or  three  inches,  when  he  takes  the  folds  out 
of  his  body.  He  is  a  very  slender  man,  with  a  small 
head,  thick  black  hair,  combed  back  from  his  forehead 
and  temples,  deep-sunken  black  eyes,  hollow  cheeks, 
and  presenting,  on  the  whole,  a  worn,  sickly  aspect. 
His  accent  is  of  the  broadest  Scotch,  and  his  delivery 
most  furious.  When  his  name  was  announced,  the 
hall  rang  again.  He  commenced  like  a  race-horse, 
and  kept  in  full  gallop  to  the  close  of  a  very  long  speech. 
He  twisted  his  body  into  all  possible  shapes — at  one 
time,  a  part  of  the  tail  of  his  coat  was  over  his  shoulder ; 
at  another,  he  had  every  available  portion  of  it  closely 
packed  under  one  arm,  so  as  to  reveal  his  waistcoat 
midway  to  his  shoulders.  I  never  heard  such  a  torrent 
of  information,  of  history,  of  invective,  of  figure  and 
illustration,  of  vigorous  grappling  with  pantheism,  in- 
fidelity, and  formalism,  and  of  earnest  exhortation  to 
the  whole  host  of  God's  elect  to  a  bold  and  united  as- 
sault upon  the  army  of  the  aliens.  And  as  he  traced 
the  progress  of  the  soul  emerging  from  the  darkness  of 
nature  into  the  light  of  revelation,  and  by  the  aid  of 
that  light  ascending  step  by  step  until  introduced  to 
the  general  assembly  and  Church  of  the  First-born  in 
heaven,  he  held    his   audience   in  breathless  silence. 


32 


MEN     AND    THINGS 


The  anniversary  one  of  great  interest. 


When  he  concluded  his  speech  he  was  dripping  with 
perspiration ;  and  the  moment  his  last  words  were  ut- 
tered, he  rolled  his  cloak  around  him,  and,  amid  the 
tumultuous  applause  of  the  house,  darted  out  of  the 
hall. 

This  meeting  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Soci- 
ety had  other  besides  religious  interest  to  me.  There 
were  seen  to  meet  and  mingle  all  classes  of  men  and 
Christians  on  the  common  platform  of  their  humanity 
and  Christianity.  Dukes  and  earls  were  there  in  com- 
mon dress,  plain  as  the  plainest ;  and  if  there  was  any 
difference,  with  less  force  of  intellect  than  their  unti- 
tled brethren.  Yet  it  was  charming  to  see  their  posi- 
tion and  influence  on  the  right  side,  and  to  hear  the 
strain  of  humble,  fervent,  earnest  piety  that  ran  through 
all  their  speeches.  There  is  much  salt  mingled  with 
the  corruption  which  pervades  the  English  aristocracy. 
Lord  Ashley,  Sir  Robert  Ingles,  and  the  Earl  of  Har- 
rowby,  are  not,  however,  true  samples  of  their  class. 
They  form  the  exceptions. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE. 


33 


St.  Paul's.  The  Tower.  The  waiters. 


CHAPTER  V. 

St.  Paul's.  —  The  Tower. —  The  Thames.  —  Westminster  Abbey. — 
Stone  of  Destiny. — Regent's  Square  Church. — Dr.  Hamilton. — St. 
James's. — Westminster. — Bishop  Wilberforce. 

The  Cathedral  of  Saint  Paul's,  London,  is  a  huge 
superstructure,  surmounting  a  hill,  in  a  crowded  part 
of  the  city,  near  the  Thames.  Its  immense  walls  are 
being  covered  with  the  memorials  of  great  men,  who 
by  sea  and  land  have  extended  and  are  extending  the 
dominion  of  England.  It  did  not  impress  us  as  we 
expected,  and  we  felt  that  the  busts  and  boasting  epi- 
taphs of  naval  and  military  commanders  might  be  some- 
where else  than  in  a  house  consecrated  to  the  worship 
of  G-od. 

The  Tower  of  London  is  a  collection  of  many  build- 
ings inclosed  within  a  wall,  whose  gates  are  strongly 
guarded.  Its  bloody  history  is  known  in  all  the  earth. 
We  were  shown  the  Armory,  a  long  room  crowded  with 
men  on  horseback,  illustrating  the  kind  of  armor  worn 
for  six  centuries  past.  The  waiter,  in  harlequin  dress, 
who  conducts  you  through  it,  gives  you  a  brief  and 
rapid  history  of  each  knight,  and  gets  you  on  and  out 
as  quickly  as  possible.  He  gives  you  not  a  minute  to 
sketch,  note,  or  consider.  The  small,  secluded  room, 
where  are  deposited  the  crown  and  crown  jewels,  is 
an  object  of  cariosity.  Our  company  was  counted  as 
we  entered  it ;  we  were  then  given  over  to  quite  a 
dainty  old  lady  in  cap  and  gloves,  who  took  us  around 
B  2 


34  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Crown_and  jewels.  Sail  on  the  Thames. 

a  glass  case,  and  gave  us  a  hurried  account  of  the  va- 
rious articles  it  inclosed,  which  she  valued  at  twenty 
millions,  but  whether  pounds  or  dollars  I  do  not  re- 
member, nor  is  it  material.  We  were  again  counted 
as  we  went  out,  and  the  door  was  shut.  To  one  whose 
heart  has  often  bled  in  reading  of  the  atrocities  there 
committed,  and  whose  imagination  has  magnified  it 
into  a  most  massive  and  towering  prison,  a  frowning 
relic  of  barbarism,  it  is  a  most  flat  affair.  Its  bloody 
history  alone  invests  it  with  the  least  interest,  and  there 
are  but  few  bloodier  spots  in  Europe.  As  you  pass  over 
its  rough  pavements  and  through  its  dark  passages, 
you  feel  as  if  haunted  by  the  ghosts  of  the  queens, 
princes,  nobles,  saints,  and  sinners  who  were  there  le- 
gally and  illegally  murdered.  What  a  bloody  history 
is  that  of  England ! 

A  sail  up  or  down  the  Thames  is  a  curious  affair.  It 
runs  through  the  city,  and  is  one  of  the  great  thorough- 
fares of  the  town.  It  is  crowded  with  small  steamers, 
which  stop  at  given  points  for  receiving  and  discharg- 
ing passengers,  which  is  done  with  great  rapidity.  It 
was  our  lot  to  see  it  and  sail  upon  it  when  the  tide 
was  down,  and  then  the  stream  was  small,  the  cur- 
rent rapid,  and  the  bed  of  the  river  exceedingly  filthy. 
Above  the  London  Bridge,  the  rear  of  the  houses  and 
warehouses  run  down  to  the  river,  which  renders  the 
prospect  any  thing  but  pleasant  to  those  upon  its  wa- 
ters. Paris  has  made  every  thing  of  the  Seine,  and 
Dublin  much  of  the  Liffy,  but  London  has  made  noth- 
ing of  the  Thames  for  its  adornment.  Its  shipping  and 
great  docks  lie  below  the  London  Bridge. 

Westminster  Abbey  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  old 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  35 

Westminster  Abbey.  Lia  fail.  Dr.  Hamilton's  church. 

Grothic  architecture.  Days  might  be  spent  in  viewing 
and  noting  its  points  of  interest,  and  the  tombs  of  the 
illustrious  in  letters.  Its  general  plan  is  that  of  a  Latin 
cross.  In  the  Poet's  Corner  are  the  monuments  of  the 
most  distinguished  poets  of  England ;  in  other  parts  of 
it  are  those  of  statesmen,  warriors,  scholars,  and  artists, 
who  have  shed  lustre  on  the  British  name.  The  mon- 
archs  of  England  are  crowned  in  its  choir,  where  under 
the  coronation  chair  is  the  famous  stone  "  Lia  fail,"  or 
"  stone  of  destiny,"  on  which  the  kings  of  Ireland  were  , 
crowned  for  ages,  and  which  had  the  peculiar  property 
of  giving  forth  a  terrific  sound  when  any  of  the  royal 
Scythian  race  was  crowned  upon  it,  and  of  being  si- 
lent on  all  other  occasions.  It  was  taken  from  Tara  to 
Scone,  in  Scotland,  and  thence  to  England,  and  over  it 
the  coronation  chair  now  stands.  The  star  of  empire 
is  said  to  be  governed  by  the  movements  of  this  stone ! 
The  Irish  legends  have  much  to  say  about  the  "  Lia 
fail,"  and  the  good  genius  of  Ireland  yet  weeps  over  its 
removal.  With  its  return  to  Tara  there  will  be  a  re- 
turn of  empire ! 

I  declined  all  invitations  to  preach  in  London,  that 
I  might  spend  a  Sabbath  in  hearing  and  seeing  for  my- 
self. As  a  good  Presbyterian,  I  went  to  the  church  on 
Regent  Square,  to  hear  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hamilton,  so  fav- 
orably known  in  our  own  country  by  several  attract- 
ive, popular,  and  truly  evangelical  works.  This  is  the 
church  in  which  Irving  once  preached  with  a  popular- 
ity which  has  never  been  equaled — when  prime  min- 
isters, dukes,  and  nobles  were  willing  to  enter  by  a  win- 
dow to  hear  him.  The  church  is  plain,  but  substan- 
tial and  large.     I  entered  it  before  service  commenced, 


36  MEN     AND    THINGS 


How  seated.  Dr.  Hamilton.  St.  James's. 

and  was  shown  to  a  backless  bench  in  the  middle  aisle ! 
I  had  the  consolation  of  seeing  others,  male  and  female, 
treated  with  equal  politeness.  After  the  service  com- 
menced we  were  invited  to  empty  pews,  of  which  there 
were  several.  Others  accepted,  but  I  declined  the 
honor;  and,  partly  out  of  ill  humor  with  their  way 
of  treating  strangers,  I  kept  my  backless  seat  through 
the  service.  Instead  of  Dr.  Hamilton,  my  old  friend 
Dr.  Cunningham,  so  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
America,  rose  in  the  pulpit  and  performed  the  entire 
service.  It  was  a  missionary  sermon  from  2  Cor.,  v., 
14,  15 — full  of  matter,  sound,  long,  and  exhaustive  of 
the  text.  It  was  Scotch  throughout.  After  service  I 
was  introduced,  in  the  vestry,  to  Dr.  Hamilton,  with 
whom  I  went  to  dinner,  in  company  with  Dr.  Cunning- 
ham. Dr.  Hamilton  is  very  like  his  books — pleasant, 
imaginative,  free  in  conversation,  full  of  information, 
cheerful,  with  face,  accent,  and  manner  which  would 
prove  his  north  Tweed  origin  if  met  in  the  moon. 

Hearing  that  Wilberforce,  bishop  of  Oxford,  was  to 
preach  a  charity  sermon  in  St.  James's,  Westminster,  in 
company  with  Dr.  Cunningham,  I  took  a  very  long  walk 
to  hear  him.  The  house  was  thronged  when  we  reach- 
ed it,  and  we  went  into  the  gallery.  I  took  a  stand  in 
front  of  a  seat  which  had  two  persons  in  it,  but  there 
was  no  invitation  to  enter.  After  keeping  my  stand- 
ing position  for  some  time,  I  heard  my  name  rather 
audibly  whispered  into  the  ear  of  the  beef-headed  John 
Bull  that  kept  the  seat,  and  by  some  person  who  had 
seen  me  at  Exeter  Hall,  when  I  was  invited  in.  My 
temper  was  much  the  same  as  at  Regent's  Square;  but, 
as  my  feet  were  riot  in  the  best  condition  to  sustain  it, 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  37 

The  prayers.  Bishop  of  Oxford's  sermon.  His  person. 

I  "bowed  and  entered.  The  service  was  read  intoler- 
ably, and  was  rendered  ludicrous  in  one  portion  of  it, 
where  the  minister  paused,  and,  by  way  of  parenthesis, 
gave  the  name  of  a  lady  who  desired  to  offer  public 
thanks  for  her  safe  delivery  of  a  son  !  The  singing  was 
performed  by  boys.  The  Bishop  was  heralded  from  the 
vestry  by  a  man  wearing  a  military  chapeau,  and  hold- 
ing in  his  hand  a  wand  of  office  ;  he  conducted  him  to 
the  pulpit,  arranged  his  robes,  and  shut  him  in.  His 
text  was  John,  xvi.,  26,  and  the  sermon  was  decidedly 
the  poorest  I  heard  in  Europe.  It  was  short,  pointless, 
and,  save  in  a  single  paragraph  at  the  close,  without 
any  reference  to  the  subject  for  which  the  collection 
was  solicited.  He  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  ablest  bish- 
ops on  the  bench,  and  if  his  was  a  specimen  of  their 
preaching,  I  could  most  devoutly  unite  in  the  language 
of  the  Liturgy,  and  pray,  from  such  homilies,  "  may 
the  good  Lord  deliver  us."  The  Bishop  is  a  short,  not 
handsome  man,  of  youthful  appearance,  with  consider- 
able character  for  cleverness  and  eloquence.  He  is  re- 
garded as  a  Tractarian,  and  as  sympathizing  in  many 
things  with  some  of  his  kindred  who  have  already  gone 
to  Rome.  He  so  manages,  however,  as  to  excite  the 
hopes  and  the  fears  of  each  of  the  parties  into  which  the 
Church  of  England  is  divided,  each  party  having  claim- 
ed and  disowned  him.  To  such  an  extent  has  he  car- 
ried this  double  dealing,  as  to  have  secured  for  himself 
the  appellation  of  "  Slippery  Sam." 

How  must  the  sainted  spirit  of  William  Wilberforce 
regard,  from  its  abode  on  high,  the  unworthy  conduct 
of  his  erring  sons !  Well  said  Solomon,  that  we  know 
not  who  shall  come  after  us,  whether  they  be  wise  men 
or  whether  they  be  fools. 


38  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Parliament  House.  House  of  Lords. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Mr.  Lawrence. — Parliament  House. — House  of  Lords. — Lord  Chan- 
cellor. —  Duke  of  Argyle.  —  Wee  Willie  Skinner.  —  Lord  Grey.  — 
Bishop  Wilberforce. — Tout  ensemble. — Law  Lords. — Sir  Culling 
Eardley. — Badinage. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Lawrence,  our  minister 
at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  and  who,  hy  his  urbanity, 
ability,  and  attentions  to  his  countrymen,  has  won  for 
himself  golden  opinions  in  all  quarters,  myself  and  trav- 
eling companion  got  admission  to  the  House  of  Lords. 
This  is  an  apartment  in  the  new  House  of  Parliament, 
just  as  our  Senate  Chamber  is  an  apartment  in  the  Cap- 
itol at  Washington.  By-the-way,  the  Parliament  House, 
now  approaching  completion,  struck  me  as  greatly  un- 
English.  It  looks  unsubstantial  and  undignified,  be- 
cause of  the  profusion  of  its  ornamental  and  filagree 
work.  It  impresses  you  as  does  a  very  large  lady  with 
manifold  pretensions,  flounced  and  ruffled  from  head  to 
foot.  When  finished,  it  will  be,  however,  a  great  affair. 
It  stands  on  the  Thames  and  opposite  to  Westminster 
Abbey,  the  street  only  separating  them. 

The  way  to  the  gallery  of  the  House  of  Lords  is  just 
about  as  plain  as  is  the  way  to  the  gallery  of  our  own 
House  of  Representatives,  or  Senate  Chamber,  in  Wash- 
ington. You  need  either  a  guide,  or  to  be  taught  to 
thread  the  labyrinth.  We  were  shown  the  way,  and 
entered  the  gorgeous  apartment.  It  is  an  oblong  room, 
most  richly  carved  and  gilded,  with  the  throne  on  one 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  39 

Woolsack.  Lord  Chancellor.  Wee  Willy  Skinner. 

end,  and  the  gallery  in  which  we  sat  on  the  other.  The 
doors  of  admission  to  the  floor  were  on  either  side  of 
the  throne  and  opposite  to  us;  there  must  have  been 
one  or  more  beneath  us,  as  on  the  adjournment  the 
Lord  Chancellor  made  his  exit  in  that  direction.  The 
"  Woolsack"  is  a  plain,  oblong  settee,  without  back, 
placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  upon  which  the 
Lord  Chancellor  sat,  who  seems  to  act  as  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  body,  although  never  so  addressed.  Each 
speaker  addresses  "  My  Lords."  The  members  sit 
upon  plain  benches,  rising  like  steps  one  above  another. 
The  furnishing,  and  the  carving,  and  gilding  of  the 
room  form  a  very  strong  contrast.  We  were  seated 
by  an  English  clergyman  who  was  acquainted  with  the 
persons  of  all  the  peers,  and  who  was  ready  to  answer 
all  our  questions.  The  woolsack  was  occupied  by  the 
Chancellor  in  his  robes,  and  buried  in  an  enormous  wig 
of  office.  My  friend  asked  me  if  he  did  not  remind  me 
of  quite  an  old  lady  in  my  congregation,  now  verging  to- 
ward eighty  years !  The  Duke  of  Argyle  was  there,  tall, 
straight,  bold,  with  hair  as  red  as  a  lobster,  and,  from 
what  I  saw,  of  corresponding  temper.  He  is  the  man 
who,  having  partaken  of  the  communion  in  the  Episco- 
pal Chapel  in  Glasgow,  with  his  wife,  was  afterward 
excommunicated  for  partaking  of  it  in  his  own  church, 
the  Presbyterian.  The  Bishop  who  issued  the  bull  is  a 
small,  crooked  man,  formed  after  the  pattern  of  a  note  of 
interrogation.  The  bull  commenced  thus:  "We, Wil- 
liam Skinner,  Bishop,"  &c. ;  and  from  that  day  to  this, 
he  is  laughed  at  all  over  Britain  as  "Wee  Willy  Skin- 
ner." Lord  Stanley  was  there,  now  ex-prime  minister, 
tall,  thin,  thoughtful,  buttoned  up  to  his  chin,  and  ap- 


40  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Lord  Stanley.  Lord  Grey.  Bishop  Wilberforce. 

parently  in  poor  health.  Lord  Cfrey  was  there,  son  of 
a  former  premier,  of  most  ungainly  aspect,  his  knees 
boxing  when  he  walked,  as  if  bending  under  the  weight 
of  his  slender  form.  There  was  quite  a  mixture  of  the 
fat  and  the  lean,  the  tall  and  the  short,  the  smart  and 
the  stupid.  There  was  the  Bishop  of  Cork,  in  full  ca- 
nonicals, old  and  infirm. 

"  And  who  is  that?"  said  I  to  my  neighbor,  as  a  lord 
spiritual  entered,  dressed  in  lawn,  and  took  his  seat. 

"  Wilberforce,  bishop  of  Oxford,"  was  the  reply ; 
"and  one  of  the  most  able  and  eloquent  debaters  here." 

"  I  heard  him  preach  a  wretched  sermon  yesterday, 
at  St.  James's,"  said  I. 

"  Oh,  he  does  not  care  much  about  preaching ;  he 
lays  out  his  strength  here,"  said  my  kind  informant. 

"  What  kind  of  a  man  is  he  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Well,  I  do  not  know  ;  we  all  call  him  '  Slippery 
Sam,'  "  was  the  reply. 

"  And  who  is  that  ?"  said  I,  as  a  fine  person  entered, 
rotund,  bald,  affable  in  manner,  and  of  pleasant  and 
mild  aspect. 

"  The  richest  peer  of  England,  the  Marquis  of  West- 
minster," was  the  reply. 

The  stars  of  the  House  were  not  there — the  Iron 
Duke  had  just  rode  away  from  the  House  as  we  ap- 
proached it. 

On  the  whole,  I  was  most  unfavorably  impressed 
with  all  I  saw  in  the  Upper  House.  All  wore  their  hats 
save  when  they  rose  to  speak  ;  then  they  took  them  off, 
and  put  them  on  again  as  soon  as  they  ended.  They 
walked  about  without  any  restraint.  The  old  men 
looked  stupid — indeed,  one  was  asleep — and  the  young 
lords,  who  formed  the  majority,  seemed  trifling  in  their 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  41 

A  contrast.  Law  Lords.  Sir  Culling  Eardley. 

manners  and  appearance.  I  know  not  of  a  point  in 
which  they  do  not  fail  in  comparison  with  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  especially  when  adorned  by  Clay, 
Webster,  and  Calhonn.  And  the  question  arises,  Why 
do  the  decisions  of  such  a  body  upon  great  law  points 
carry  such  weight  over  that  empire  upon  which  the  sun 
never  sets  ?  The  reason  is,  that  the  "  Law  Lords" 
alone  decide  such  points.  In  theory  every  Lord  has  a 
vote,  but  the  carrying  out  of  the  theory  would  be  con- 
trary to  that  uniform  practice  which  has  given  sym- 
metry, and  uniformity,  and  confidence  to  the  judicial 
decisions  of  the  House  of  Lords.  Is  there  not  a  lesson 
here  for  our  country  to  learn  ? 

The  name  of  Sir  Culling  Eardley  is  known  to  the 
extreme  boundaries  of  philanthropy  and  religion.  I 
was  introduced  to  him  by  Mr.  Henderson,  of  Park,  and 
accepted  an  invitation  to  spend  an  evening  at  his  beau- 
tiful residence  at  Belvidere,  about  fourteen  miles  from 
London,  on  the  Thames.  He  is  a  man  of  middle  size, 
pleasant,  affable,  well  educated,  simple  in  his  manners, 
and  a  zealous,  humble  Christian.  The  evening  I  spent 
in  his  family,  in  company  with  a  gentleman  from  India 
and  a  minister  from  France,  will  not  be  soon  forgotten. 

"  To  what  Church  do  you  belong,  sir  ?"  said  Lady 
Eardley  to  me,  as  I  sat  by  her  side  at  the  tea-table. 

"  To  the  Presbyterian,"  was  my  reply. 

"  Dear  me  !"  said  she;  "  from  the  way  in  which  Sir 
Culling  spoke  of  you,  I  supposed  you  were  an  Ameri- 
can bishop." 

"  Well,  I  am,"  I  replied. 

The  following  conversation  then  arose,  to  the  no  lit- 
tle amusement  of  Sir  Culling  and  his  friend  from  In- 
dia, both  of  whom  had  seceded  from  the  Episcopal 


42  MENANDTHINGS 

The  true  difference.  Cure  for  difficulties. 

Church,  while  Lady  Eardley  has  continued  her  adhe- 
rence to  it. 

"  Do  you  Presbyterians  believe  in  bishops  ?" 

"  Certainly  ;  as  all  our  standards  teach." 

"  And  how  do  you  ordain  ministers  ?" 

"  By  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  bishops  com- 
posing a  Presbytery." 

"  In  what,  then,  do  you  Presbyterians  differ  from  us 
Episcopalians  ?" 

"  In  this  :  we  have  more  bishops  than  you,  and  more 
dioceses.  We  make  every  minister  settled  over  a  par- 
ish a  bishop,  and  we  make  every  parish  a  diocese. 
And  if  you  would  do  so  here  in  England,  you  would 
have  far  less  trouble  than  you  do." 

"Well,  I  have  never  understood  the  difference  be- 
tween you  and  us  before  ;  and  I  do  not  know  but  that 
it  would  be  a  great  improvement  upon  our  Church  to 
introduce  your  system  into  England.  What  do  you 
think,  Sir  Culling  ?» 

While  he  made  no  reply,  laughing  merrily  at  the 
badinage,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  he  heartily  as- 
sented to  the  improvement  it  would  make  in  England 
to  convert  every  parish  into  a  diocese,  and  every  good 
minister  into  a  bishop.  It  would  certainly  save  them 
from  such  flares-up  as  the  Philpotts  of  Exeter  make. 
Generations  to  come  will  call  Sir  Culling  blessed.  In 
many  of  his  expectations  from  his  Alliance  I  deem  him 
visionary.  Yet  he  will  have  his  reward.  He  has  the 
heart  of  a  philanthropist.  The  glory  of  England  would 
be  resplendent  as  the  sun  if  all  its  aristocracy  were 
like  him.  He  is  unwearied  in  well-doing,  and  in  due 
time  he  will  reap  his  reward. 


ASSEENINEUROPE.  43 

To  Dover.  The  town.  Fortifications. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

London  to  Dover. — Dover. — A  Voyage  to  Calais. — Official  Imposi- 
tion.— Landing  in  France. — A  true  Picture. — Ride  from  Calais  to 
Paris. — The  Country. — Wind-mills. — People. — A  Dissertation  on 
Vanes. 

The  railway  from  London  to  Dover  lies  through  a 
beautiful  though  level  country.  To  an  American  ac- 
customed to  the  bold  scenery  of  the  Hudson,  and  who 
has  crossed  the  Alleghanies,  and  who  has  spent  years 
among  the  Green  Mountains,  England  seems  quite 
tame  in  physical  aspect ;  to  a  traveler  from  Switzer- 
land, it  seems  level  as  the  ocean  in  a  calm.  In  the 
month  of  May,  a  magnificent  cultivation  every  where 
presents  itself.  Dover  is  a  very  bleak  place,  lying  un- 
der snowy  chalk  cliffs  upon  the  sea.  All  the  sur- 
rounding hills  are  covered  with  the  strongest  fortifica- 
tions, which  in  the  distance  look  like  old  ruins,  that  add 
so  much  to  the  romantic  beauty  of  the  Rhine.  They 
look  out  upon  the  old  enemy  of  England,  and  are  kept 
in  the  finest  repair.  Upon  one  of  their  walls  lay  for 
a  long  time  the  famous  old  cannon,  pointing  over  the 
Channel,  upon  whose  breech  was  written  the  sentence, 

"  Keep  me  dry,  and  keep  me  clean, 
And  I'll  carry  a  ball  to  Calais  green." 

The  town  itself  looks  like  a  poor  old  man  of  eighty 
years,  all  whose  friends  had  preceded  him  to  the  tomb. 
As  the  rail-car  turns  the  point  where  you  get  your  first 


44  MEN    AND    THINGS 

A  steamer.  Royal  names.  Imposition. 

sight  of  the  Channel,  the  shores  of  France  lie  in  full 
view. 

"We  were  here  hurried  on  board  a  miserable  steamer 
for  Calais,  built  after  the  very  worst  fashion  of  these 
vessels  in  England.  It  was  dignified  by  some  royal 
name,  and  belonged  to  some  royal  company,  and  was 
commanded  by  some  captain  of  her  majesty's  royal  ser- 
vice !  Who  ever  heard  of  royal  names  so  contemptibly 
bestowed !  The  wind  was  fresh,  and  the  sea  rough. 
As  soon  as  we  left  the  shelter  of  the  pier,  we  were  all 
drenched  by  the  spray  of  the  short,  chopping  waves 
dashing  our  bark,  and  from  which  there  was  no  possi- 
ble protection.  Soon  all  were  sick.  My  worst  Atlan- 
tic sickness  was  drinking  nectar  in  comparison  to  this ! 
And  before  we  were  half  seas  over,  and  while  yet  sweat- 
ingunder  the  violence  of  our  ejections,  a  man  with  a  gold 
band  around  his  cap  stood  before  me,  and  demanded, 
in  true  John  Bull  accent,  "  Your  ticket."  I  had  paid 
in  London  through  to  Paris  ;  I  handed  him  my  ticket. 
"  Four  shillings,  sir,"  said  he.  "  For  what  ?"  said  I. 
"  For  your  seat  in  the  boat,  and  for  attendance,"  he  re- 
plied. "  I  have  paid  to  Paris,  and  I  have  had  no  at- 
tendance," I  answered.  "  Four  shillings — you  might 
have  had  attendance  if  you  asked  for  it,"  he  bluffly  re- 
plied. As  well  as  a  person  almost  sick  unto  death 
could  do  it,  I  found,  slowly,  four  shillings,  and  as  I 
slowly  counted  them  into  his  hands,  I  said  to  him, 
"  You  and  your  government  should  be  indicted,  first, 
for  such  wretched  accommodations  upon  such  a  thor- 
oughfare ;  and,  next,  for  your  gross  impositions."  I 
think  I  was  less  amiable  between  Dover  and  Calais 
than  I  remember  to  have  been  during  any  part  of  my 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  45 

Hard  skins.  Home  feeling  gone.  Life  picture. 

journey.  If  her  majesty's  servant  was  not  cut  by  what 
I  said,  it  was  not  my  fault.  I  put  on  my  sentence  the 
keenest  edge  I  could  ;  but  such  officials  have  usually 
a  very  hard  skin.  Theirs  is  the  scaly  hide  of  the  levia- 
than. If  such  extortions  were  practiced  in  the  United 
States,  they  would  be  bruited  through  Europe  as 
Americanisms. 

Until  I  placed  my  foot  on  the  quay  of  Calais,  I  main- 
tained a  home  feeling,  but  when  I  saw  men  of  foreign 
aspect  all  around  me,  and  heard  them  shouting  in  a 
foreign  tongue,  the  feeling  fled.  I  was  in  a  strange 
land !  My  little  French  was  put  immediately  into  re- 
quisition ;  but  the  vacant  stare,  and  the  "  non  com  pren- 
dre" of  the  Frank  soon  made  me  feel  that  my  accent, 
or  idiom,  or  both,  were  at  fault.  And  I  returned  the 
compliment  of  "  non  comprendre,"  when  a  French- 
man, wishing  to  do  me  a  service  "  for  a  compensation," 
poured  a  torrent  of  French  into  my  face.  On  hearing 
a  Frenchman  speak,  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  as  if 
his  words  were  all  connected,  without  space,  comma, 
colon,  or  period  to  divide  them,  as  if  they  came  out  in 
a  continuous  stream,  just  like  a  jet  of  water.  But 
never  did  this  seem  so  to  me  to  the  same  degree  as  at 
Calais,  when  surrounded  by  porters,  waiters,  commis- 
sionaires, each  anxious  to  secure  the  privilege  of  wait- 
ing on  you,  and  on  as  many  others  as  possible.  To  have 
half  a  dozen  of  men  bowing  to  you — talking  to  you — 
wishing  to  serve  you — recommending  a  hotel  here — a 
restaurant  there — one  asking  for  your  passport — another 
ready  to  fly  off  with  your  baggage,  and  not  to  under- 
stand a  word  they  say,  and  only  able  to  conjecture  what 
they  wish  to  do ;  and  then  to  be  at  your  wits'  ends  to 


46  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Calais.  Arras.  The  raw  material. 

know  where  to  turn,  and  ready  to  die  with  laughter  at 
the  efforts  all  around  you  of  the  English  to  speak  French, 
and  of  the  French  to  speak  English — if  this  is  not  a 
picture  of  an  American  landing  from  a  crazy  English 
steamer,  the  remembrance  of  which  makes  him  sea- 
sick, on  the  quay  at  Calais,  then  my  readers  may  draw 
their  own  picture,  and  to  their  own  liking.  However 
others  felt  on  that  memorable  day,  I  felt  that  I  was 
from  home ! 

Calais,  which  I  care  not  to  see  again  until  Victoria 
provides  a  better  steamer,  until  I  speak  French,  or  the 
people  learn  English,  is  a  walled  town,  and  strongly 
fortified.  It  looks  out  upon  Dover  with  jealous  eye, 
and  was  for  two  centuries  the  key  of  the  British  pos- 
sessions in  France.  There  we  took  the  cars,  and  after 
slowly  winding  out  of  the  town,  we  hastened  on  our 
way  through  Lille,  Douay ,  Arras,  Amiens,  and  Clermont, 
to  Paris.  The  country  is  level  through  the  whole  route, 
with  scarcely  a  hillock  to  break  the  dull  monotony. 
Arras,  the  birth-place  of  the  bloody  Robespierre,  lives 
by  wind-mills.  As  the  rail-car  made  a  rapid  semicircle 
round  the  city,  I  strove  to  count  them,  but  such  was  the 
confusion  made  by  the  tossing  of  their  huge  arms  in  the 
air,  I  soon  gave  it  up  as  hopeless.  The  lands  are  well 
cultivated,  and  some  places  of  great  beauty  occasionally 
present  themselves  to  the  eye  ;  but  the  people  of  the 
country  seem  everywhere  in  the  raw  material.  Every 
where  the  women  were  seen  working  in  the  fields,  and 
in  one  case  we  saw  a  man  and  woman  drawing  a  har- 
row. Papal  churches  were  very  numerous,  but  their 
steeples  were  surmounted  by  roosters  instead  of  crosses. 
"Why  a  rooster  ?     I  would  request  a  certain  ecclesiolog- 


AS     SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  47 

Roosters.  Uniformity  desirable.  A  good  emblem. 

ical  society,  formed  some  time  since  in  New- York,  to 
direct  their  profound  investigations  to  the  solution  of 
this  question.  Bats,  owls,  and  roosters,  I  should  think, 
were  very  much  in  their  line.  There  is  some  difference 
between  crosses  and  roosters,  and  as  the  latter  may 
have  some  reference  to  the  cock  whose  crowing  brought 
Peter  to  repentance,  it  is  a  matter  of  grave  inquiry  which 
should  surmount  a  steeple.  In  this  day  of  emblems 
there  ought  to  be  an  effort  at  uniformity  upon  this  mat- 
ter. Some  steeples  are  surmounted  by  weather-vanes 
— some  by  crosses — some  by  balls — and,  sad  to  narrate, 
one,  at  least,  by  a  pumpkin  !  but  I  am  free  to  confess, 
that  if  they  could  only  crow,  and  if  their  crowing  would 
only  have  the  effect  of  one  of  old  upon  those  who  trace 
their  ecclesiastical  descent  from  Peter  or  Judas,  I  would 
vote  for  roosters.  Besides,  a  rooster  is  a  most  portly 
bird,  and  walks  with  a  proud  tread,  and  a  high  head, 
and  quite  an  air  of  authority  among  his  barn-yard  fam- 
ily; and  what  better  emblem  does  the  world  afford  of 
a  modern  successor  of  the  apostles  ?  I  go  for  chanti- 
cleer versus  crosses.     I  like  his  archiepiscopal  air! 

We  left  London  after  breakfast  in  the  morning,  and 
took  tea  at  Paris  in  the  evening,  flying  from  city  to 
city  in  twelve  hours  !  Before  nine  in  the  evening  we 
were  resting  in  our  rooms  in  the  Hotel  Windsor,  in  Rue 
Rivoli,  which  looks  out  upon  the  magnificent  garden 
of  the  Tuileries. 


48  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Fans.  Its  streets.  First  walk. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Paris. — Garden  of  the  Tuileries  :  its  Beauty. — Night  Walk. — Palais 
Royal :  its  Gardens. — Arbre  de  Cracovie. — Jardin  des  Plantes. — 
Pere  la  Chaise  :  its  Epitaphs. 

Paris  !  Paris  !  of  world-wide  fame  for  its  splendor, 
its  palaces,  its  fashions,  its  arts,  its  revolutions,  its 
wickedness,  its  rivers  of  blood,  its  cooks,  and  its  milli- 
ners— I  am  now  in  Paris  !  As  it  has  no  environs  like 
London,  you  pass  at  once  from  an  open  country  into  a 
crowded  city.  And  as  you  are  driven  from  the  depot, 
through  narrow  streets,  to  your  hotel,  you  are  over- 
whelmed with  disappointment,  and  ask  at  every  turn, 
is  this  Paris  ?  Many  of  its  most  fashionable  streets  are 
as  narrow  as  Nassau  Street,  in  New  York  ;  are  without 
any  side  walks,  paved  with  round  stones,  and  with  a 
channel  in  the  centre  to  carry  off  the  water  !  In  tread- 
ing your  way  through  them,  you  have  to  dodge  the 
wagons,  carriages,  and  people  as  you  can.  And  yet 
Paris  is  a  magnificent  city  ;  but  its  beauty  lies  in  spots. 
I  will  describe  things  as  I  saw  them. 

After  a  pleasant  night's  rest,  a  little  farther  from  the 
earth  than  would  be  convenient  in  case  of  fire  or  earth- 
quake, myself  and  friend  sallied  out  to  see  sights.  Our 
first  walk  was  through  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries  from 
the  palace,  through  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  Champs 
Elysees,  up,  up  to  the  triumphal  arch,  L'Etoile.  French- 
men say  that  this  is  the  most  beautiful  promenade  in 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  49 

Its  beauty.  Night  walk.  Palais  Royal. 

the  world.  And  I  have  no  reason  to  question  it.  Start- 
ing from  the  main  entrance  of  the  famous  old  Palace, 
whose  every  window  and  chamber  have  their  bloody- 
history,  and  walking  leisurely  along  through  shady 
groves,  by  magnificent  fountains,  greeted  at  every  turn 
by  the  finest  chiseled  statuary — with  the  Madeleine, 
and  the  Palace  of  Ministers  on  the  one  hand,  with  the 
Hotel  d'Orsay,  the  Palais  Bourbon,  and  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies  on  the  other,  from  which  you  are  separated 
by  the  Seine  with  its  graceful  bridges,  your  emotions 
of  pleasure  increase  at  every  step,  until  you  are  over- 
whelmed. You  can  do  little  more  than  stand,  gaze, 
and  wonder.  And  beautiful  as  is  this  walk  by  day,  it 
is  still  more  enchanting  by  night ;  when,  with  the  stars 
overhead,  and  every  avenue  and  fountain  brilliantly 
lighted,  and  marble  men  and  women  gazing  upon  you 
from  every  mound  and  from  under  every  tree,  and 
with  the  soothing  notes  of  music  floating  around  you 
wherever  you  wander  over  the  vast  area  of  beauty  and 
magnificence,  you  feel  the  magic  effect  melting  you 
into  sympathy  with  the  scenes  around  you.  I  doubt 
whether  the  world  can  present  any  thing  to  be  com- 
pared in  beauty  to  that  portion  of  Paris  which  lies  be- 
tween the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  and  the  Triumphal 
Arch,  that  noble  monument  to  the  memory  of  Napo- 
leon the  Great. 

The  Palais  Royal  is  another  of  the  beautiful  spots  of 
Paris.  It  is  said  to  be  to  Paris  what  Paris  is  to  France. 
It  covers  an  entire  square,  built  up  on  all  sides,  with 
splendid  entrances  to  the  enchanting  grounds  that  form 
the  centre.  This  palace,  with  its  gardens,  courts,  gal- 
leries, and  arcades,  is  the  great  central  point  of  pleasure. 

C 


50  MEN     AND    THINGS 

A  changing  crowd.  A  place  of  sin.  Jardin  des  Plantes. 

In  this  garden  was  the  celebrated  tree — the  famous 
"  arhre  de  Cracovie" — under  whose  shade  politicians 
decided  the  fate  of  nations.  Every  thing  here  is  in- 
tended for  the  gratification  of  the  senses.  There  is  noth- 
ing here  pure,  natural,  spiritual — and  the  uncorrupted 
stranger  soon  wishes  himself  away  from  the  intoxica- 
ting labyrinth.  Here  are  restaurants,  gambling-rooms, 
wine,  milliner,  and  jewelry  shops  on  the  most  gorgeous 
scale.  In  these  gardens  may  be  found,  early  in  the 
morning,  the  tradesmen — at  nine,  the  coffee-houses  be- 
gin to  fill — from  twelve  to  two,  the  gay  world  is  there 
— from  two  to  five,  the  avenues  are  crowded  with  nur- 
sery-maids and  children — about  eight,  the  women  of 
the  town  make  their  appearance,  when  every  thing  is 
brilliantly  illuminated,  and  every  thing  is  bustle,  gay, 
noisy,  and  intoxicating  until  twelve,  when  the  crowd 
melts  away.  The  Palais  Royal  presents f  on  a  fine  night, 
a  true  picture  of  the  frivolity,  luxury,  versatility,  sen- 
suality, and  corruption  of  the  French  people.  It  is  a 
brilliant  spot,  and  there  are  but  few  in  the  world  where 
more  sin  is  committed  in  each  twenty-four  hours  in  the 
year.     It  is  said  to  be  changing  for  the  better. 

The  Jardin  des  Plantes  forms  another  of  the  great  at- 
tractions of  this  great  city.  Here  the  taste  and  science 
of  BufTon  and  Cuvier  are  remarkably  displayed.  Its 
botanic  gardens  are  extensive  and  most  elegantly  ar- 
ranged. Its  cabinets  of  minerals  are  on  the  largest 
scale.  Its  zoological  gardens  contain  every  animal 
under  heaven.  And  here  are  delivered  lectures  on  the 
natural  sciences,  by  the  most  eminent  savans,  at  public 
expense,  and  to  about  1800  students,  from  April  to  Oc- 
tober in  each  year.     This  Jardin  is  the  pride  of  France, 


AS     SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  51 

Beasts  protected.  Pere  la  Chaise. 

and  has  been  alike  regarded  by  Absolutists  and  Dem- 
ocrats, by  monarchs  and  mobs.  When  the  Terrorists 
were  daily  sending  to  the  guillotine  hundreds  of  men 
and  women,  they  ordered  the  lions,  tigers,  and  hyenas 
of  the  great  menagerie  to  be  respected.  They  treated 
them  as  brethren.  And  when  foreign  troops  occupied 
Paris  in  1815,  by  special  agreement,  this  wonderful 
place  was  protected  from  injury.  I  spent  more  time 
in  these  magnificent  grounds  and  museums  than  at 
any  other  place  in  Paris. 

I  was  greatly  disappointed  in  Pere  la  Chaise.  It  lies 
on  a  rising  ground  outside  the  wall  of  the  city,  and  con- 
tains about  150  acres.  It  received  its  name  from  a 
Jesuit  priest  who  once  lived  there,  and  was  opened  as 
a  cemetery  only  in  1804.  Its  main  approach  is  through 
an  avenue  lined  on  both  sides  with  stone-cutters'  shops, 
who  have  marble  fashioned  in  all  forms  ready  for  let- 
tering ;  and  with  retailers  of  wreaths,  of  all  colors  and 
sizes,  for  the  decoration  of  the  tombs  of  the  departed. 
These  retailers  are  very  importunate  in  the  sale  of  their 
chattels.  You  enter  the  grounds  by  a  wide  avenue, 
but  are  soon  lost  among  the  narrow  paths  that  lead  off 
in  every  direction.  It  is  thick  with  stones  and  monu- 
ments, so  as  in  many  cases  to  render  a  passage  be- 
tween them  impossible.  The  elegant  tombs  are  but 
few,  while  the  inelegant  are  in  great  numbers,  and  all 
of  them  holding  up  for  perusal  "boasting  epitaphs,"  so 
as  to  impress  you  with  the  belief  that  none  but  the 
great,  the  virtuous,  the  heroic,  and  the  pious  found  se- 
pulture there.  The  tomb  of  Abelard  and  Heloise  is  a 
gem  of  its  kind.  There  is  a  fine  bust  of  Casimir  Pe- 
rier  over  his  grave,  which  bears  a  striking  likeness  to 


52  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Epitaphs.  Frivolity.  Greenwood. 

that  of  our  own  lamented  Webster.  The  grave  of  Mar- 
shal Ney,  whose  murder  Wellington  might  have  pre- 
vented, and  whose  not  doing  so  is  without  excuse,  is 
shown  you,  without  a  stone  to  tell  the  stranger  whose 
ashes  repose  there.  "Why,"  I  asked  the  guide,  "is 
there  no  monument  to  Ney?"  "  France  is  his  monu- 
ment," was  the  sentimental  reply.  We  smile  at  the 
simplicity,  not  to  say  silliness,  of  the  inscriptions  which 
are  often  seen  in  our  own  rural  grave-yards ;  hut  when 
you  read  upon  the  monuments  in  Pere  la  Chaise  such 
sentiments  as  these, 

"  His  ividow  continues  his  business,  Rue  Saint 
Denis,  340." 

"  Very  high,  very  powerful  princess,  aged  one  day" 
— one  is  ready  to  conclude  that  there  are  things  to  ex- 
cite a  smile  out  of  America  as  well  as  in  it. 

The  religion  and  friyolity  of  the  French  are  both  con- 
spicuous in  this  far-famed  cemetery.  A  Popish  chapel 
is  within  the  gate,  where  any  body  may  have  mass  said 
"for  a  compensation."  Crosses  are  upon  the  tombs  of 
both  saints  and  sinners.  And  frequently  you  are  at- 
tracted by  a  small  group  looking  through  an  iron  grat- 
insr  into  a  tomb,  where  is  an  altar  in  the  form  of  a 
lady's  dressing  table,  with  vases  of  flowers,  sometimes 
natural,  more  frequently  artificial,  a  gilt  lamp,  silver 
candlesticks,  and  all  the  usual  et  ceteras  of  a  boudoir. 
This  is  French  taste.  And  people  crowd  to  see  those 
things  just  as  they  crowd  round  the  windows  of  taste 
and  fashion  in  the  Palais  Royal.  Save  in  the  splendid 
views  which  you  occasionally  catch  from  its  highest 
points,  Pere  la  Chaise  is  not  to  be  compared  in  natural- 
ness, taste,  or  beauty  to  Greenwood  or  Mount  Auburn. 
It  is  in  every  respect  inferior  to  the  cemetery  at  Naples. 


AS    8EEN    IN    EUROPE.  53 

Nfltre  Dame.  Its  histories.  Appearance. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Notre  Dcuiie. — The  Power  of  the  Keys. — A  Shaving  Shop  in  a  Cathe- 
dral.— Hotel  Dieu. — A  Nun  in  a  Circle. — Vincennes. — A  Mistake. 
— Blame  divided. — The  Donjon. — Salle  de  la  Question. — Justice 
will  come. 

I  am  not  yet  out  of  Paris. 

Notre  Dame  is  the  Cathedral  of  Paris — the  historic 
church  of  France.  It  has  its  place  in  the  bloody  revo- 
lutions and  persecutions  of  the  country.  It  is  on  the 
"  Isle  de  la  Cite,"  and  of  course  in  the  most  ancient 
part  of  the  city,  and  is  conspicuous  by  its  double  G-othic 
towers.  It  was  here  that  "  Te  Deums"  were  sung  on 
the  cruel  murder  of  Protestants — that  a  courtesan  was 
crowned  as  the  Goddess  of  Reason  during  the  frenzy  of 
the  Revolution — and  that  Napoleon  placed  the  imperial 
crown  on  his  own  head,  and  that  of  Josephine,  in  1804, 
in  the  presence  of  the  Pope,  and  of  an  assemblage  more 
brilliant  than  any  Paris  ever  witnessed  before  or  since. 
A  star  wrought  in  the  marble  marks  the  spot  where 
he  stood  on  that  great  occasion. 

As  you  approach  this  pile  of  masonry  you  are  struck 
with  its  dingy  appearance — its  antique  bas-reliefs,  and 
the  magnificent  circular  window  between  the  towers, 
said  to  be  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  French  in  its 
appearance.  Various  hands  and  ages  have  had  to  do 
with  it  ;  and  it  is  yet  unfinished.  We  entered  a  side 
door  into  the  tower,  and  soon  the  vast  interior  was  be- 
fore us.     The  floor  is  of  marble.     There  are  no  seats. 


54  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Interior.  Power  of  the  keys.  Robes  and  relics. 

Piles  of  split-bottom  chairs  with  high  backs  are  on 
either  hand,  which  one  can  hire  for  a  few  sous  at  any- 
time. On  the  sides  are  altars,  and  candles,  and  con- 
fession boxes  ;  and  we  saw  here  and  there  an  old  wo- 
man or  a  young  servant  whispering  confessions  into 
the  ear  of  a  priest,  whose  face,  whether  from  shame  or 
wine,  recalled  the  color  of  Burgundy.  The  grand  altar 
is  shut  out  from  the  body  of  the  church  by  an  iron  rail- 
ing, within  which  you  can  enter — "  for  a  compensa- 
tion." A  silver  or  golden  key  has  great  efficacy  within 
the  dominions  of  Popery.  It  will  open  a  church,  or 
chapel,  or  relic  box :  it  opens  the  gates  of  Paradise  or 
Purgatory.  Between  the  railing  and  the  grand  altar 
are  some  magnificent  paintings.  On  either  side  of  this 
altar,  but  shut  out  from  it,  are  rooms  which  contain 
treasures  and  relics.  In  them  we  were  shown  the 
splendid  robe  in  which  Napoleon  was  crowned,  priestly 
robes  embroidered  with  gold,  gifts  of  popes  and  kings 
made  at  different  times  to  this  old  Cathedral,  and, 
passing  from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous,  the  bullet 
which  killed  Affre,  the  archbishop  of  Paris,  during  the 
emeute  of  1848  ! 

As  we  passed  round  the  building,  we  saw  here  and 
there  poor,  ragged  devotees  praying  before  pictures, 
counting  their  beads,  and  leaning  over  chairs.  It  ap- 
peared far  more  like  a  heathen  than  a  Christian  tem- 
ple. As  we  were  going  out  we  passed  a  confessional 
where  a  female  was  confessing,  and  two  others  were 
waiting  for  their  turn.  "  There  is  a  shaving  shop," 
said  one  of  the  company  in  broken  English.  Startled 
by  the  remark,  and  by  hearing  my  own  tongue,  even 
in  foreign  accent,  I  joined  conversation  with  the  per- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  55 

A  shaving  shop.  Type  of  Popery.  H6tel  Dieo. 

son.  "  Why  call  it  a  shaving  shop  ?"  said  I.  "  They 
take  money  from  the  people  for  nothing,  and  seduce 
the  women,"  was  the  reply.  I  found  him  to  be  a  French 
merchant  from  New  York,  who  had  been  brought  up 
in  the  Papal  Church,  and  who  had  seen  enough  of  its 
priests  to  form  a  true  estimate  of  them. 

Notre  Dame  is  inferior  to  St.  Paul's  or  to  Westmin- 
ster Abbey.  It  is  in  an  old  and  crowded  part  of  the 
city,  where  nothing  can  be  seen  to  advantage.  Although 
the  laying  of  its  foundations  dates  back  to  the  fabulous 
ages  of  remote  antiquity,  it  is  yet  unfinished.  It  is  in 
many  respects  a  type  of  the  Romish  Church — it  lifts 
itself  high — it  has  much  external  pretension — it  is  din- 
gy and  faded — while  internally  it  is  empty,  and  cold, 
and  damp.  We  were  chilled  there  on  a  hot  day ;  it 
was  pleasant  to  get  out  into  the  air  and  sunshine. 

Under  the  shadow  of  Notre  Dame  is  the  Hotel  Dieu, 
the  most  ancient  hospital  of  Paris,  whose  foundations 
date  back  to  the  seventh  century.  It  has  been  gradual- 
ly enlarged  by  public  and  private  benefactions,  until  it 
now  contains  upward  of  800  beds.  Here  the  sick  and 
wounded  are  received,  with  the  exception  of  children, 
incurable  and  insane  persons,  and  those  with  cutaneous 
diseases.  The  yearly  average  of  patients  is  12,000, 
and  the  mortality  one  in  eight.  We  were  taken  through 
it  by  an  official  wearing  a  chapeau  militaire,  and  whose 
step  indicated  that  he  had  often  marched  to  the  tap  of 
the  drum.  There  is  one  immense  hall  with  three  rows 
of  beds,  nearly  all  of  which  were  filled  with  sick  men. 
Every  thing  was  perfectly  neat — the  rooms,  beds,  cook- 
ing, washing,  waiting.  Not  an  unpleasant  odor  was 
perceptible.     Altars,  candles,  and  crucifixes  were  of- 


56  MEN     AND    THINGS 

A  group.  A  nun  reading.  Unexpected  YisiJ, 

fensively  numerous.  We  saw  here  and  there  a  lazy- 
looking  priest  confessing  the  sick  ;  the  nuns  were  nu- 
merous. But  the  sight  which  most  deeply  impressed 
me  was  that  of  a  circle  of  recovering  invalids  around  a 
sister,  who  in  a  sweet  and  earnest  manner  was  read- 
ing to  them  from  a  book.  Our  approach  diverted  the 
attention  of  some  of  them,  but  the  nun  read  on.  I  did 
not  approach  near  enough  to  see  the  book,  or  to  hear 
any  of  its  contents.  But  it  did  not  look  like  a  Bible — 
probably  not  a  copy  of  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  building — 
and  I  suppose  she  was  reading  to  them  from  the  Lives 
of  the  Saints,  that  miserable  fabrication  of  lying  legends 
and  old  wives'  fables,  by  which  the  priests  would  every 
where  supplant  the  Word  of  Grod.  These  poor  nuns  are 
every  where  the  dupes  of  the  priests,  when  they  are 
nothing  worse.  The  Hotel  Dieu  bore  to  us  a  much 
greater  resemblance  to  the  house  of  Grod  than  does  the 
Notre  Dame  under  whose  shadow  it  reclines. 

We  made  quite  an  unexpected  visit  one  morning  to 
Vincennes,  outside  the  wall  of  the  city,  and  famous  in 
history  as  a  royal  residence,  and  for  its  being  a  prison 
of  state,  and  now  one  of  the  strongest  fortifications  in 
the  kingdom  or  empire.  We  started  for  Versailles,  and 
were  put  down  at  Vincennes.  So  much  for  our  bad 
French  and  the  roguery  of  the  coacher.  He  insisted 
that  we  said  Vincennes  instead  of  Versailles,  and  we 
thought  he  lied  about  it  to  get  our  money.  But  we 
also  thought,  as  the  fare  was  paid,  the  best  plan  was  to 
divide  the  blame — to  charge  half  the  mistake  to  our 
French,  and  the  other  half  to  his  falsehood,  and  to  act 
like  heroes.  Yet  there  before  us  was  the  Donjon  where 
the  gallant  Henry  V.  of  England  reigned  and  died— - 


ASSEENINEUROPE.  57 

The  Donjon.  Salle  de  la  Question.  Spirits  waiting. 

which  was  converted  into  a  prison  by  Louis  VI. — where 
the  Duke  d'Enghien  was  murdered  in  1804 — where 
Polignac,  minister  of  Charles  X.,  was  imprisoned  in 
1830 — and  where  yet  is  to  be  seen  the  "  Salle  de  la 
Question,"  with  its  fearful  bed,  upon  which  men  were 
tortured  during  the  application  of  the  "  Question." 
Heaven  only  knows  the  cruelties  committed  within  that 
Donjon,  through  those  long  years  when  French  kings 
perpetrated  crimes  by  "  lettres  de  cachet"  which  are 
a  disgrace  to  humanity.  We  almost  forgive  the  rogue- 
ry of  the  driver,  who,  to  get  a  shilling  out  of  stran- 
gers, took  us  to  Vincennes,  as  we  had  thus  an  oppor- 
tunity of  gazing  upon  a  place  so  famous  in  history,  and 
upon  that  Donjon  that  has  had  such  a  baptism  of  blood. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  spirits  of  the  multitudes  there 
murdered  were  hovering  around  its  turrets,  waiting  the 
arrival  of  that  retributive  justice  whioh,  though  slowly, 
will  surely  come. 

C2 


58  MEN    AND     THINGS 

Versailles.  Its  cost.  Workmen. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Versailles.— The  Palace.  — Picture  Gallery.— Chapel.— Theatre.— 
Banqueting  Room. — Room  of  Louis  XIV. — Room  of  Death. — Room 
where  was  signed  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantz. — The  Bal- 
cony. —  The  Gardens.  —  Whence  the  Revenues.  —  Causes  of  the 
Revolution. — Bourbon  Dynasty. — Moral  Lessons  of  Versailles. 

I  aM  yet  in  Paris,  and  am  telling  what  I  saw. 

"We  started  again  for  Versailles,  determined  this  time 
to  reach  it.  We  walked  to  the  "  Chemin  de  fer,"  and 
after  whirling  us  around  the  city,  we  were  dropped  in 
the  heart  of  the  town  in  half  an  hour.  "We  met  in  the 
cars  a  British  officer,  retired  on  half-pay,  who  had  been 
often  there,  who  spoke  the  French  as  a  native,  and  who 
kindly  offered  to  take  us  around  the  place.  So  intel- 
ligent was  he,  and  so  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
town  and  the  palace,  that  we  saw  all  that  was  to  be 
seen  in  the  day,  under  the  very  best  circumstances. 
The  town  itself  is  old  and  decaying,  having  once  had 
a  population  of  100,000,  and  now  reduced  to  less  than 
30,000.     But  of  the  palace,  what  can  I  say? 

It  is  a  monument  to  the  taste,  the  extravagance,  to 
the  pride  and  folly  of  the  voluptuous  Louis  XIV.  Some 
idea  may  be  formed  of  its  surpassing  splendor,  of  its 
buildings,  gardens,  fountains,  waterfalls,  statuary,  and 
paintings,  when  it  is  known  that  it  cost  about  forty 
millions  sterling,  and  that  30,000  soldiers,  when  they 
could  be  spared  from  the  battle-field,  were  simultane- 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  59 

Picture  gallery.  Chapel.  Salle  de  l'Opera. 

ously  employed  on  the  works !  The  palace  is  approach- 
ed by  a  very  wide  avenue,  amid  statuary,  fountains,  and 
soldiers.  At  eleven  o'clock  you  gain  admittance,  and 
may  wander  amid  its  numberless  apartments  as  you 
please.  There  are  the  great  picture  galleries,  the  finest 
in  the  world,  where,  in  historical  paintings,  the  great 
battles  of  kings,  emperors,  and  republicans  are  placed 
before  you.  You  wander  over  acres  of  canvas,  glowing 
with  the  finest  creations  of  the  great  masters,  until  op- 
pressed by  the  feelings  of  pleasure  and  wonder.  There 
is  the  magnificent  Chapel,  with  its  gilded  furniture, 
where  royal  sinners  went  to  mass,  and  where  royal 
courtesans  went  to  confession,  and  where  each  could 
secure  from  a  pliant  and  profligate  priesthood  pardon 
for  the  past  and  indulgence  for  the  future.  And  there, 
before  that  altar,  stood  the  beautiful  Maria  Antoinette, 
when  she  was  wedded  to  Louis  XVI.,  in  1769.  And 
there  is  the  Salle  de  V  Opera,  where  the  Bourbon  court, 
sparkling  in  jewels  and  diamonds,  and  amid  the  blaze 
of  ten  thousand  wax  candles,  crowded  to  attend  theat- 
rical exhibitions.  The  stage  was  now  vacant,  and  I 
sat  down  in  the  very  seat  where  the  beautiful  queen 
of  the  Sixteenth  Louis,  whose  tragic  end  made  the  world 
weep,  often  reclined,  attracting  all  eyes  and  hearts  to 
herself.  And  this  is  the  very  place  whither  the  court 
fled  for  counsel  on  that  fearful  hour,  when  that  furious 
mob  reached  the  gates,  which  marched  out  from  Paris 
to  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  their  royal  oppressors. 
And  there  is  the  grand  Banqueting  Room,  less  than 
three  hundred  feet  long,  the  finest  in  the  world,  where 
Louis  displayed  all  the  grandeur  of  royalty,  and  all  the 
luxury  of  his  times,  and  where  were  given  the  most 


60  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Rooms  of  note.  The  balcony. 

splendid  fetes  of  Europe.     But  profound  quiet  had  now 
succeeded  to  royal  revelry. 

Every  room  in  this  magnificent  royal  abode  has  its 
history.  There  is  the  very  chair  and  table  of  Louis 
XIV.,  and  in  the  room  where  he  planned  most  of  his 
great  wars  and  battles — where  Louis  XV.  signed  the 
decree  expelling  the  Jesuits — where  his  bold  and  im- 
pudent mistress,  Du  Barri,  who  died  by  the  guillotine,  in 
the  presence  of  his  ministers  snatched  from  his  hands 
a  package  of  letters  and  threw  them  into  the  fire  ;  and 
where  Louis  XVI.  received  the  reply  sent  by  Mirabeau, 
that  the  Assembly  would  not  adjourn  save  at  the  point 
of  his  bayonets ! 

And  here  is  the  room  where  Louis  the  Grreat  died, 
bewailing  his  sins,  and  terrified,  as  well  he  might  be, 
in  view  of  the  judgment ;  and  where  Louis  XV.  died 
of  small-pox,  hated  of  all  men,  and  with  one  watcher, 
an  old  woman,  who  announced  his  death  by  the  put- 
ting out  a  candle  in  the  window  of  his  room!  What  a 
just  termination  of  a  cruel  and  profligate  life ! 

And  here  is  the  room  where  the  infamous  Jesuits,  La 
Chaise  and  La  Tellier,  secured  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantz.  Bloody  men  of  a  hated  order!  (rod 
save  us  from  their  wiles ! 

And  there  is  the  balcony,  on  which  I  gazed  with 
emotions  of  horror,  where  Maria  Antoinette  appeared  at 
the  call  of  the  mob  which  filled  the  court  below,  yell- 
ing for  vengeance.  When  she  was  married,  a  fearful 
thunder  storm  threw  Versailles  and  the  surrounding 
country  into  terror — it  was  regarded  as  an  omen  of  her 
fearful  end!  And  there  is  the  room  into  which  the 
mob  had  broken  but  a  few  moments  after  her  escape, 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  61 

Maria  Antoinette.  Orangery.  Whence  toe  revenues. 

and  into  whose  bed  they  plunged  a  hundred  daggers. 
Her  murder  is  the  bloodiest  chapter  in  the  bloody  his- 
tory of  the  bloody  revolution.  As  I  gazed  upon  that 
balcony,  I  thought  I  could  see  her  in  loveliness,  with 
her  children  on  either  side  of  her,  facing  the  fury  of  the 
mob,  which  recoiled  for  a  moment,  with  a  murmur  of 
admiration,  at  her  presence;  and  on  my  return  to  Paris, 
I  imagined  I  could  see  her  spirit  hovering  over  that  city, 
and  crying,  in  view  of  the  delay  of  justice,  "  How  long! 
0  Lord, how  long!" 

On  leaving  the  palace  for  the  gardens  and  parks 
which  lie  in  the  rear,  you  enter  a  scene  of  fairy  en- 
chantment which  can  not  be  described.  Groves,  lawns, 
serpentine  walks,  lanes,  waterfalls,  parterres  of  flow- 
ers, fountains,  and  statuary,  bewilder  you  with  their 
number,  opulence,  beauty,  and  magnificence.  I  doubt 
whether  of  its  kind  there  is  a  sight  in  the  world  to  be 
compared  to  the  view  from  the  wall  which  surmounts 
the  orangery  in  the  garden  of  Versailles. 

But  whence  the  immense  revenues  required  to  pro- 
duce, amid  the  wild  forest,  magnificence  like  this  ? 
The  very  stables  are  palaces,  and  the  horses  of  the  Bour- 
bons were  better  cared  for  than  the  princes  of  other 
.  lands !  And  whence  the  revenues  that  created  and  sus- 
tained such  splendid  and  profuse  royalty?  They  were 
wrung  from  the  peasantry  and  citizens,  who  were  re- 
garded by  that  bad  race  of  kings  as  does  a  farmer  his 
cattle,  who  are  reared  to  yield  their  milk  and  beef  for 
his  profit !  The  French  people  saw  and  felt  how  they 
were  ground  to  sustain  royal  profligates  and  prosti- 
tutes, and  they  waited  their  time  of  vengeance !  The 
Revolution  was  onlv  the  effect  of  the  outpouring  of 


62  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Causes.  The  Bourbon  race  of  kings.  Lessons. 

the  wrath  of  the  nation,  which  had  been  accumulat- 
ing for  ages  under  the  pressure  of  the  iron  heel  of  des- 
potism. And  when  men  and  women  seemed  equally 
savage,  it  is  to  be  remembered  they  were  equally  op- 
pressed. Some  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  bloodiest 
revolution  in  the  annals  of  time,  you  see  in  the  fading 
magnificence  of  Versailles. 

And,  were  I  a  Frenchman,  there  is  nothing  which 
gave  a  hope  of  preventing  it  which  I  would  not  do,  to 
prevent  the  return  of  the  Bourbon  dynasty.  Taken  as 
a  whole,  it  was  a  cruel  one ;  with  scarcely  an  exception, 
its  kings  were  vain,  oppressive,  tyrannical,  supersti- 
tious, lascivious,  and  cruel.  Louis  XIV.  was  the  most 
regal  of  them  all — the  flower  of  the  race.  And  yet  no 
right  mind  can  form  an  acquaintance  with  his  inte- 
rior history  without  holding  him  in  royal  contempt. 
To  see  him  scorning  his  wife — caressing  his  mistresses 
— sending  his  favorite  of  to-day  into  exile  to-morrow — 
living  daily  in  open  debauchery — going  to  bed  at  night 
with  a  scapular  and  crucifix  to  keep  off  the  devil — ris- 
ing and  dressing  amid  a  silly  formalism,  the  very  reci- 
tal of  which  fills  you  with  disgust — sipping  his  coffee 
and  wine — then  going  to  prayers  amid  his  attendants 
— then  going  to  mass  amid  bishops  and  cardinals  who 
were  ever  singing  hosannas  to  the  royal  saint — shed- 
ding the  blood  of  his  people  like  water,  and  then  dying 
amid  the  horrors  which  the  recollection  of  his  sins  and 
profligacy  could  not  fail  to  excite — 0,  if  this  was  the 
flower  of  the  Bourbon  race,  may  France  be  ever  free 
from  their  rule,  and  the  world  from  their  example ! 

The  moral  lesson  and  instructions  to  be  learned  at 
Versailles  are  very  many  and  very  important.    The  race 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  63 

The  glory  departed. 

of  monarchs  that  expended  millions  in  its  erection  are 
now  banished  and  detested.  The  halls,  once  crowded 
with  the  great  and  the  noble  of  Europe,  and  resound- 
ing with  their  revelry,  are  now  silent.  And  those  oak- 
en floors,  waxed  and  polished  so  brightly  as  almost  to 
reflect  your  image,  and  upon  which  none  but  royal  or 
noble  feet  were  permitted  to  tread,  are  now  daily  trod 
by  peasants  and  by  strangers  from  other  lands,  who 
resort  there  to  gaze  upon  the  beauties  of  art,  and  the 
effects  of  the  creative  skill  of  man.  '  Versailles  is  now 
only  a  national  gallery !     "  Sic  transit  gloria  mundi." 


64  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Bastile.  Days  of  tyranny.  Man  of  iron  mask. 


CHAPTER   XL 

Bastile. — Lettres  de  Cachet. — Man  of  Iron  Mask. — Column  of  July. — 
Emeute  of  1848. — Place  de  la  Concord. — Obelisk  of  Luxor. — 
Guillotine. — January  21st  and  October  16th,  1793. — National  As- 
sembly Hall. — Confusion. — Republicanism  dishonored. 

Yet  in  Paris. 

The  Place  de  la  Bastile  is  one  of  great  historic  in- 
terest. It  is  an  open  space  whence  many  streets  ra- 
diate, and  in  the  centre  of  which  rises  the  famous  Col- 
umn of  July.  Here  once  stood  the  Bastile,  formerly  a 
famous  castle,  in  which  state  prisoners,  arrested  by 
lettres  de  cachet,  were  confined.  By  these  "  lettres" 
a  man  was  taken  from  his  family  for  any  or  no  reason, 
and  was  carried  none  knew  whither.  They  were  usu- 
ally plunged  into  the  cells  of  this  building.  If  a  man 
knew  any  thing  whose  revelation  might  be  injurious  to 
king,  or  minister,  or  mistress,  here  was  his  home  ! 
What  days  of  tyranny  have  passed  over  our  world  ! 
Here  was  confined  "  the  man  with  iron  mask,"  about 
whom  so  much  has  been  written,  and  as  to  whom  cu- 
riosity is  yet  on  tip-toe.  He  was  treated  with  the  high- 
est distinction — was  fed  by  the  hand  of  the  chief  keep- 
er— was  denied  nothing  he  desired — but  ever  wore  an 
iron  mask,  behind  which  no  eye  was  permitted  to  look. 
He  made,  it  is  said,  two  efforts  to  reveal  his  confine- 
ment to  the  world.  Once  he  threw  a  shirt  out  of  the 
window  on  which  he  had  written  something.  It  was 
picked  up  by  a  priest,  who  took  it  to  the  keeper  with- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  65 

The  shirt.  The  plate.  Column  of  July.  Afire. 

out  reading  what  was  written.  The  priest,  lest  he 
should  have  read  it,  was  put  to  death.  Once  he  threw 
a  silver  plate  out  of  the  window  upon  which  he  had 
scratched  something.  It  was  found  by  a  peasant  and 
given  back  to  the  keeper.  "  Have  you  read  what  is 
here  written  ?"  said  the  keeper.  "  I  can  not  read,"  was 
the  reply.  Having  satisfied  himself  that  the  man  could 
not  read,  the  keeper  dismissed  him,  saying,  "  You  are 
very  fortunate  in  not  knowing  how  to  read."  Among 
many  conjectures  in  reference  to  him,  some  intimate 
that  he  was  a  twin  brother  of  Louis  XIY.,  and  that  he 
was  thus  disposed  of  to  prevent  civil  wars,  as  the  twins 
might  put  in  equal  claims  for  the  throne.  If  the  true 
history  of  the  Bastile  could  be  written,  tyranny,  treach- 
ery, blood,  and  murder  would  mark  its  every  page. 

It  was  captured  by  the  people  in  July,  1789.  In 
the  following  year  it  was  demolished  by  order  of  the 
Assembly,  and  where  it  stood  now  stands  the  Column 
of  July,  150  feet  high,  inscribed  all  over  with  the  names 
of  the  martyrs  of  liberty,  surmounted  by  a  ball,  on 
which  stands  a  colossal  gilt  figure  of  the  Grenius  of 
Liberty,  standing  on  one  foot,  holding  a  torch  in  one 
hand  and  a  broken  chain  in  the  other,  with  wings  ex- 
panded ready  to  fly  away.  If  it  remains  there  yet, 
since  the  tricks  of  Louis  Napoleon,  it  must  be  made  of 
bronze  or  of  brass. 

Here  were  the  strongest  barricades  of  the  insurgents 
of  June,  1848.  It  was  here  that  the  most  fearful  con- 
test of  that  emeute  took  place.  The  marks  of  it  are 
visible  on  nearly  all  the  surrounding  houses.  "And  it 
was  here  that  Afire,  archbishop  of  Paris,  was  killed, 
attempting  to  persuade  the  insurgents  to  desist.     It 


66  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Place  de  la  Concorde.  Luxor.  Guillotine. 

was  on  the  pavement  that  surrounds  the  Monument 
that  the  throne  of  the  Bourbons  was  consumed. 

Between  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries  and  the  Champs 
Elysees,  and  between  the  Madeleine  and  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  lies  the  "  Place  de  la  Concorde."  It  is 
beautiful  for  situation.  This  was  formerly  the  "  Place 
de  la  Revolution."  Here  stands  the  magnificent  mon- 
ument of  ancient  Egypt,  the  Obelisk  of  Luxor,  which 
stood  before  the  temple  of  Thebes  fifteen  centuries  be- 
fore the  birth  of  Christ,  and  which  was  raised  to  its  pres- 
ent position  in  1836,  in  the  presence  of  Louis  Philippe 
and  his  court,  and  such  a  crowd  as  Paris  can  give  for 
such  an  occasion.  And  here  are  fountains,  and  statu- 
ary, and  magnificence  on  every  hand,  to  attract  your 
gaze  and  call  forth  your  admiration.  But,  as  I  walked 
over  these  enchanting  grounds,  recollections  of  other 
days  came  over  me.  Here  was  erected  the  revolution- 
ary guillotine,  a  machine  invented  in  Italy,  and  im- 
ported into  France  by  a  humane  physician,  (xuillotin, 
whence  its  name,  for  the  purpose  of  superseding  the 
inhuman  and  atrocious  methods  of  taking  life.  On  the 
21st  of  January,  1793,  the  Bridge  de  la  Concorde,  the 
terraces  of  the  Tuileries,  the  parapets  on  the  border  of 
the  river,  the  tops  of  all  the  surrounding  houses,  the 
leafless  trees  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  and  all  these 
open  grounds,  were  densely  crowded  with  an  excited 
people.  A  carriage  drove  up  to  the  guillotine.  A  man 
of  noble  mien  was  led  out  of  it.  His  hands  were  bound, 
and  he  was  laid  on  the  plank — the  blade  fell,  and  the 
head  of  Louis  XVI.  rolled  in  the  dust !  An  execution- 
er took  it  by  the  hair,  and  held  it  up  to  the  view  of  the 
bloodthirsty  crowd.     Cruel  Frenchmen  jumped  on  the 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  67 

Death  of  Louis  XVI.  Of  Maria  Antoinette.  Place  of  blood. 

scaffold,  and,  dipping  the  points  of  their  swords  in  the 
royal  blood  flowing  around  them,  and  waving  them 
toward  heaven,  cried  out,  "  Vive  la  Republique  !"  0 
France,  France ! 

A  few  months  have  passed  away,  and  on  the  16th 
of  October  of  the  same  year,  another  and  similar 
crowd  is  collected  in  the  same  place.  An  open  cart, 
used  to  carry  the  lowest  criminals  to  death,  slowly 
makes  its  way  amid  hissing  crowds  of  men  and  women 
— the  women  the  most  coarse  in  their  abuse — and  stops 
before  the  guillotine.  A  female,  with  a  white  gown 
soiled  and  crumpled,  with  her  ringlets  fallen  over  her 
face  and  neck,  descends  from  it.  Her  mouth  sorrow- 
fully preserved  the  folds  of  royal  pride,  which  no  suffer- 
ing could  tame,  and  which  nothing  could  hide.  She 
was  bound  to  the  plank,  and  the  blade  fell — and  the 
head  of  Maria  Antoinette,  the  Q,ueen  of  France,  the 
daughter  of  the  Emperor  Francis  I.  and  of  Maria  The- 
resa, rolled  away  from  its  body  !  The  executioner 
took  it  by  the  hair,  and  went  the  round  of  the  scaffold 
with  it,  raising  it  up  in  his  hand,  showing  it  to  the 
people,  who  raised  a  long,  loud  cry  of  "  Vive  la  Repub- 
lique !"  And  the  most  furious  in  Paris  for  the  life  of 
this  queen,  and  those  who  showed  the  most  frantic  joy 
on  her  execution,  were  women.     0  France,  France ! 

And  here  I  was  treading  the  very  ground  on  which 
the  guillotine  stood,  where  rivers  of  blood  were  shed, 
and  where  those  scenes,  which  to  this  hour  shock  and 
sadden  the  civilized  world,  were  enacted !  And  now 
it  is  called  Place  de  la  Concorde^  and  is  a  place  of 
enchanting  beauty !     And  yet  it  is  steeped  in  blood  ! 

From  this  bloody  and  beautiful  spot,  you  cross  the 


68  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Hall  of  the  National  Assembly.  A  visit  to  the  Assembly. 

Seine  by  a  magnificent  bridge,  built  in  part  by  stone 
from  the  demolished  Bastile,  and  fronting  you  on  the 
opposite  bank  stands  the  Hall  of  the  National  Assembly, 
with  its  Grecian  portico  and  twelve  Corinthian  col- 
umns. With  an  embassador's  ticket  I  entered  it  from 
the  rear,  and  was  shown  by  officials  to  the  gallery  to 
which  such  tickets  give  admission.  The  Assembly 
was  in  full  blast.  Dupin  sat  as  president,  a  large,  full 
man,  with  semi-bald  head,  full  face,  and  more  English 
than  French  in  appearance.  Behind  him  sat  two  men, 
for  what  purpose  I  did  not  learn.  They  helped  him  to 
keep  order  !  A  little  stand,  the  tribune,  like  to  a  chor- 
ister's desk  in  a  Scotch  church,  was  before  him.  And 
on  the  seats,  rising  from  the  centre  on  all  sides,  amphi- 
theatre like,  sat  the  members.  They  were  numerous, 
and  gentlemanly  in  appearance.  Every  speaker  went 
to  the  tribune.  A  deputy  ascended,  buttoned  to  his 
chin,  gloved,  and  brushed  in  true  French  style.  He 
spoke  calmly,  and  showed  his  gloves  to  perfection.  The 
point  in  debate  was  about  some  duty  on  sugar.  He 
uttered  a  sentence  with  force,  and  a  cry  was  heard  from 
a  deputy,  and  another,  and  another  ;  and  soon  the  house 
was  in  a  perfect  uproar.  The  orator  folded  his  gloved 
hands  on  his  bosom,  and  stood  calm,  as  if  made  of 
marble,  until  the  tumult  subsided.  He  went  on  again, 
and  soon  the  storm  returned  with  fourfold  violence. 
Members  shouted,  jumped  to  their  feet,  and  brandished 
their  arms  in  the  air.  I  supposed  there  was  to  be  a 
fight  at  once.  Again  the  speaker  stood  quiet,  and 
again  the  storm  subsided.  He  resumed  again,  and  the 
storm  howled  with  still  greater  fury.  Dupin  hammered 
the  desk,  the  men  above  him  ringing  a  bell  j  and  such 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  69 

A  storm.  Cavaignac.  Republicanism  disgraced. 

a  Babel,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  I  never  saw  be- 
fore or  since.  The  man  descended  from  the  tribune, 
and  the  vote  was  taken ;  and  as  they  passed  to  and  fro, 
voting,  talking,  and  scolding,  they  seemed  to  me  the 
most  excitable  set  of  human  beings  that  ever  was  cre- 
ated. To  this  excitement  there  were  some  exceptions. 
The  ministers  of  Louis  Napoleon,  who  sat  near  the 
centre  of  the  room,  and  on  the  lowest  seats,  moved  not. 
Nor  did  Cavaignac,  a  man  of  middle  stature,  serious 
aspect,  simple  dress,  who  sat  thoughtful  among  his 
brethren. 

If  this  was  their  usual  way  of  legislating,  I  did  not 
wonder  when  Louis  Napoleon  sent  them  home.  One 
master  is  better  than  a  million  such,  even  when  that 
master  is  "  the  nephew  of  his  uncle.1'  Many  heads 
sometimes  make  a  hydra  —  of  which  there  is  some 
•proof  in  American  as  well  as  French  history.  The 
French  Assembly  disgraced  Republicanism  in  Europe. 
France  has  no  religion  and  no  fixed  principles,  and  as 
long  as  the  alternative  is  between  socialism  and  despot- 
ism, no  man  who  has  any  thing  at  stake  will  long 
hesitate  as  to  his  choice.  My  sense  of  shame,  because 
of  the  scenes  which  occasionally  disgrace  our  legisla- 
tive chambers  at  Washington,  was  somewhat  relieved 
by  my  visit  to  the  National  Assembly.  If  the  Ameri- 
can people  only  knew  the  use  which  is  made  abroad 
of  the  vulgar  and  shameful  conduct  of  some  of  our  sen- 
ators and  representatives  in  our  halls  of  legislation,  to 
prop  up  despotic  institutions,  and  to  bring  republican- 
ism into  contempt,  they  would  prevent  our  brawlers 
from  disgracing  our  country  by  voting  them  tKe  privi- 
lege of  staying  at  home. 


70  MENANDTHINGS 

Sabbath  in  Paris.  Madeleine.  View  from  its  portico. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Sabbath  in  Paris. — Madeleine. — Toupet. — The  Interior. — Le  Suisse. 
— Appearance  and  Duties. — A  Funeral. — A  young  Couple  at  Mass. 
— Sights  Seen. — High  Mass. — Bad  Influence  of  Popery  on  Paris. 

A  Sabbath  day  spent  in  Paris,  where  there  is  no 
Sabbath  set  apart  to  the  service  of  God  by  the  people, 
is  not  easily  forgotten  by  a  Protestant !  And  it  is  im- 
possible so  to  describe  it  as  to  make  a  person  who  nev- 
er witnessed  it  fully  to  comprehend  it.  Popery  in 
Papal  countries  knows  no  Sabbath ;  in  Paris  it  has  con- 
verted it  into  the  harvest  day  of  play-actors,  shop-keep- 
ers, restaurants,  buffoons,  and  mountebanks. 

The  Madeleine  is  an  exquisite  building,  Grecian  in 
its  form  and  proportions.  It  was  designed  by  Bona- 
parte as  a  Temple  of  Glory  to  the  French  arms,  but  is 
now  a  Papal  Church.  It  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
fifty-two  Corinthian  columns,  and  is  lighted  entirely 
from  above.  It  is  both  externally  and  internally  gor- 
geously decorated  by  sculpture  and  paintings,  and  has 
cost  nearly  three  millions  of  dollars.  It  is  the  most 
gorgeous  and  fashionable  place  of  Papal  worship  in  the 
city.  From  its  southern  portico  a  view  of  great  beauty 
lies  before  you,  as  your  eyes  wander  with  delight  over 
the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  the  bridges  over  the  Seine, 
and  the  hall  of  the  National  Assembly. 

Desirous  to  see  the  practical  workings  of  Popery,  I 
visited  this  building  many  times.    On  entering  it  from 


AS     SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  71 

Toupet.  The  interior.  Le  Suisse. 

the  southern  porch,  you  are  soon  arrested  by  a  railing 
with  a  gate  in  the  centre  of  it.  At  this  gate  stood  the 
most  dry,  wrinkled,  and  insignificant  looking  person  I 
ever  saw  in  the  form  of  a  man,  holding  at  the  end  of  a 
short  handle  a  brush  wet  with  holy  water.  He  was 
very  old,  very  ugly,  with  a  nose  twice  as  long  as  nec- 
essary, very  small,  very  stupid-looking,  and  with  a  cap 
on  his  head  rising  like  a  sugar-loaf.  He  is  called,  I 
believe,  the  "  Toupet,"  from  his  holding  out  the  brush. 
The  faithful,  as  they  enter,  most  daintily  touch  the 
brush  with  their  gloved  fingers,  and  cross  themselves. 
This,  of  course,  I  declined  ;  and  the  little  fellow's  eyes 
seemed  for  a  moment  to  assume  an  expression  of  fear 
that  I  might  be  an  unbeliever  in  the  sanctifying  effi- 
cacy of  touching  his  brush.  If  I  were  called  upon  to 
draw  the  picture  of  an  incarnate  male  witch,  I  would 
select  for  my  model  the  Toupet  of  the  Madeleine. 

After  passing  the  door  guarded  by  the  above  relic  of 
antiquity,  you  are  surrounded  by  splendid  paintings 
and  statuary.  The  high  altar  is  before  you  ;  confession 
boxes  and  altars  are  on  either  hand  ;  there  are  no  pews 
or  seats ;  and  if  you  wish  to  sit  or  pray,  you  can  have 
a  split-bottom  chair  for  a  few  sous,  which  are  piled  up 
on  all  sides.  Your  attention  is  soon  arrested  by  the 
stately  movements  of  another  official,  called  "Le 
Suisse."  He  was  in  every  respect  a  fine  contrast  to 
the  Toupet.  He  was  at  least  six  feet  two,  with  broad 
shoulders,  and  dressed  as  a  field-marshal.  He  wore  a 
chapeau  militaire,  side-arms,  white  tights,  gloves,  and 
carried  an  immense  halbert  in  one  hand,  and  an  im- 
mense cane  in  the  other.  He  seemed  the  most  self- 
satisfied  being  I  ever  saw.     He  goes  all  over  the  house 


72  MEN     AND     THINGS 

His  appearance.  Marriage.  Funeral. 

at  pleasure,  and  stands  by  the  altar,  even  when  the 
priest  is  making  God  out  of  a  wafer,  without  any  ap- 
parent reverence.  "When  all  others  are  uncovered  and 
on  their  knees,  this  official  walks  about  as  stately  as 
ever,  without  even  a  nod  of  respect  to  host  or  priest. 
This  fine-looking  fellow,  that  I  first  supposed  to  be  some 
famed  general  or  commodore  come  hither  to  make  a 
votive  offering  to  Mary  or  Mars,  is  a  mere  servant,  who 
leads  the  priests  to  the  altars  and  leads  them  away ; 
who  makes  way  for  the  monks  or  priests  through  the 
crowd  when  taking  up  collections ;  who  stands  godfa- 
ther for  all  children  baptized  who  have  no  fathers  ;  and 
who  says  "Amen"  at  funerals  when  there  are  none 
else  to  respond.  I  never  before  saw  so  big  a  man  en- 
gaged in  such  small  business.  And  yet  he  threw  all 
the  priests  in  the  shade,  attracting  to  himself  the  at- 
tention of  all  strangers.  If  I  had  the  ear  of  the  priests, 
I  would  advise  them  to  dismiss  that  stately  "  Suisse"  if 
they  wish  strangers  to  notice  themselves  or  their  panto- 
mime. I  would  know  him  if  I  met  him  in  the  moon, 
while  the  priests,  like  sheep  or  geese,  seemed  all  alike. 
I  went  to  the  Madeleine  several  times  during  the  week. 
I  witnessed  a  marriage  at  one  of  its  altars,  and  a  fu- 
neral at  another.  I  was  there  when  the  poor  and  when 
the  fashionable  go  to  mass.  And  the  more  frequently 
I  went,  the  more  I  was  impressed  with  the  utter  heart- 
lessness  of  Popery.  A  coffin  made  of  very  disjointed 
boards,  kept  together  by  ropes,  was  brought  in  and  laid 
before  an  altar.  After  some  time  the  Suisse  came 
clattering  along  with  the  priest  behind  him.  A  cere- 
mony was  mumbled  hurriedly  over,  of  which  I  could 
not  hear  a  word  but  the  response  of  the  knight  of  the 
halbert,  and  then  the  poor  people  took  away  their  daad  ! 


ASSEENINEUROPE.  73 

Mass  and  musk.  Frivolous  alternation.  The  streetg. 

A  spruce  young  couple  came  to  mass,  smelling  strongly 
of  musk,  as  I  can  testify.  The  young  lady  knelt  on 
the  bottom  of  a  chair,  hid  her  face  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then,  yet  kneeling,  commenced  a  talk  with  her 
friend,  who  stood,  hat  and  cane  in  hand,  by  the  chair. 
And  thus  they  spent  some  twenty  minutes — she  alter- 
nately praying,  talking,  and  laughing,  and  the  man, 
when  she  was  praying,  looking  with  an  opera-glass 
upon  the  persons  and  things  around  him.  And  this  is 
the  manner  of  the  fashionable  Parisians  at  mass.  It 
is  a  frivolous  alternation  of  giggle  and  praying,  of  pray- 
ing and  giggle,  which  proves  beyond  all  question  the 
utter  absence  of  the  mind  and  heart  from  the  service. 

On  Sabbath  morning  the  sun  rose  warm,  and  with- 
out a  cloud,  over  the  city  of  Paris.  I  felt  I  was  from 
home,  and  in  a  Papal  country.  After  breakfast,  and 
worship  with  a  few  friends  in  an  upper  room,  we  went 
to  the  Madeleine  to  witness  high  mass.  As  we  went 
along  the  Rue  Rivoli,  masons  were  at  work  on  the 
streets  and  public  buildings,  supervised  by  an  officer  in 
livery  ;  shops  were  every  where  open,  and  more  at- 
tractively decorated  than  usual ;  soldiers  were  march- 
ing and  counter-marching  along  the  streets,  and  across 
the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  and  in  nothing  did  the  town 
differ  from  the  other  days  in  the  week,  save  in  the 
gayer  dress  of  the  people,  the  greater  appearance  of 
finery  in  the  shops,  the  greater  number  of  purchasers, 
the  increased  number  of  soldiers,  and  the  more  densely 
crowded  state  of  all  the  fashionable  promenades.  We 
made  our  way  to  the  church. 

As  we  approached  its  splendid  southern  portico,  peo- 
ple were  coming  out  in  considerable  numbers,  while 

D 


74  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Mass.  A  farce.  Paris  made  by  Popery. 

others  were  entering.  We  entered,  passed  the  Toupet, 
whose  skin  looked  as  if  it  was  borrowed  from  a  mum- 
my, and  hired  chairs.  Mass  soon  opened,  and  the 
drama  was  acted  very  well.  The  bishop  and  priests 
were  in  full  attire  ;  twice,  followed  by  priests  shaking 
their  boxes,  did  the  stately  Suisse  parade  the  entire 
church,  asking  alms  from  the  people.  And  amid  the 
noise  of  his  cane,  halbert,  and  heels  upon  a  marble 
floor  ;  of  the  changing  of  money  to  pay  for  the  chairs 
occupied  by  the  people  ;  of  the  jingling  of  their  boxes 
by  the  priests,  to  give  notice  of  their  approach  ;  of  the 
ringing  of  bells  from  the  altar  ;  of  the  deep  tones  of  the 
noble  organ,  which  swelled  one  after  another  through 
the  ample  building  ;  of  the  talking  of  the  young,  and 
of  the  whispering  of  strangers,  of  whom  there  seemed 
to  be  many,  the  reader  may  judge  of  the  worship  we 
were  enabled  to  render  to  Him  who  requires  his  crea- 
tures to  worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Candles, 
statuary,  painting,  priests  dressed  in  the  most  gorgeous 
style  of  man-millinery,  were  there  in  profusion ;  but 
there  were  no  religious  emotions,  no  worship  of  God, 
no  religious  instruction.  And  we  retired  from  the  gor- 
geous scene,  feeling  that,  if  that  were  the  worship 
which  the  High  and  Lofty  One  required  from  intelli- 
gent creatures,  God  and  religion  were  both  a  farce. 
No  wonder  that  a  religion,  of  which  this  is  the  highest 
style,  does  so  little  to  instruct  the  people,  or  to  render 
Paris  a  moral  city.  The  judgment  day  will  reveal 
how  much  of  the  blood  that  has  so  often  deluged  this 
city — how  much  of  its  crimes  and  dissoluteness — how 
much  of  the  influence  for  evil  which  it  exerts  on  Eu- 
rope and  on  the  world,  will  be  found  on  the  skirts,  and 
required  at  the  hands  of  Popery  and  its  priests. 


ASSEENINEUROPE.  75 

Pleasant  meeting.  Vvesleyan  Chapel. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A  pleasant  Meeting  in  the  Madeleine.— Wesley  an  Chapel.— The  Ser- 
vice.— "  Clothes." — Minister  for  Paris. — Prayer-meeting. — Sabbath 
Evening  Walk. —  Sights  seen. — Reasons  for  French  Character. — 
The  Riddle  solved. — A  Look  at  St.  Germain.— A  Prayer. 

I  am  yet  describing  a  Sabbath  in  Paris. 

When  the  mummery  of  high  mass  in  the  Madeleine 
was  drawing  to  a  close — when  the  Suisse,  with  mili- 
tary tread  and  martial  air,  commenced,  for  the  second 
time,  making  a  pathway  for  the  priests  who  followed, 
rattling  their  boxes,  and  asking  for  money,  we  rose  to 
depart.  We  gave  once,  and  did  not  care  to  pay  again, 
even  for  such  magnificent  nonsense.  On  turning  round 
we  were  most  happy  to  meet  an  honorable  judge  and 
honored  Christian  from  Pennsylvania,  with  his  reverend 
son — a  clergyman  from  Boston,  and  a  gentleman  from 
Providence.  Although  comparatively  strangers,  we 
soon  felt  that  we  were  friends.  Were  it  not  for  this 
casual  meeting,  I  might  not  have  seen  Rome.  How 
sweet  to  meet  Christian  friends  and  fellow-citizens  in 
a  foreign  land  ! 

At  twelve,  we  went  together  to  the  Wesleyan  Chapel 
in  the  Rue  Madeleine,  and  almost  under  the  shadow 
of  the  splendid  church  which  we  had  just  left.  We 
entered  by  a  narrow  alley.  The  room  is  small,  but  it 
was  well  filled,  and  mostly  with  men.  Soon  a  man  of 
good  appearance,  of  comparative  youth,  and  of  serious 
aspect,  entered  the  pulpit,  and  without  robes.     His  ac- 


76  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Episcopal  service.  Clothes.  A  sermon. 

cent  was  strongly  English.  The  Episcopal  service  was 
read  by  him  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  just  as  I  had 
heard  it  in  St.  James's,  Westminster,  with  the  prayers 
"  for  our  beloved  Queen  Victoria,  her  royal  consort 
Prince  Albert,"  the  royal  children  and  all.  The  whole 
thing  struck  me  strangely.  Why  these  prayers  in 
France  for  England's  royal  family  ?  Why  this  slavish 
use  of  the  prayer-book  by  a  Methodist  clergyman  in 
Paris  ?  And  never  did  I  see  so  much  the  need  of  robes 
on  the  minister,  and  responses  from  the  people,  to  make 
the  formulary  of  the  prayer-book  tolerable.  When 
well  read,  and  with  hearty  responses,  I  have  been  edi- 
fied by  it ;  but  on  this  occasion  it  was  oppressive.  The 
constant  repetition  of  the  same  forms,  as  Carlyle  would 
say,  "  needs  clothes"  to  render  them  tolerable.  With- 
out gowns,  responses,  and  frequent  down-sittings  and 
up-risings,  the  prayer-book  would  be  soon  laid  aside. 
So  I  judged  from  the  effect  of  its  naked  and  unvaried 
perusal  upon  myself  on  this  occasion.  But  "  clothes" 
are  essential  to  the  continuance  of  many  other  things 
as  well  as  the  Prayer-book. 

The  minister  preached  from  the  thirtieth  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  and  the  thirty-third  verse,  a  sermon  on  the  doc- 
trine of  future  punishment.  It  struck  me  as  a  most  in- 
appropriate and  feeble  effort.  The  room  was  filled  with 
strangers  from  Britain  and  America,  and  who  went 
there  from  the  husks  of  Popery  to  be  fed  with  the  Gos- 
pel. Many,  I  know,  were  disappointed.  And  yet,  in- 
appropriate and  feeble  as  was  the  effort,  and  destitute  as 
was  the  preacher  of  emotion,  the  service  was  incompara- 
bly better  than  the  hocus  pocus,  in  all  its  gorgeous  dra- 
pery, which  we  had  just  witnessed  in  the  Madeleine. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  77 

Preacher  at  Paris.  Prayer-meeting.  A  walk. 

The  importance  of  a  first-rate  American  preacher  of 
the  Gospel  in  Paris  can  not  be  too  highly  estimated. 
Such  is  now  the  facility  of  transatlantic  travel,  that 
the  number  of  those  must  be  constantly  on  the  increase 
who  will  seek  their  summer  recreations  in  Europe. 
And  a  noble  preacher,  of  fervent  heart  and  piety,  meet- 
ing such  in  Paris,  would  be  to  them  as  a  stream  in  the 
desert,  as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land. 
"Why  is  not  such  a  minister  of  God  there  ? 

Before  we  left  the  Wesley  an  Chapel,  we  projected  a 
service  of  our  own ;  and  at  four  o'clock  we  met  in  the 
Hotel  Windsor,  in  a  private  room,  for  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures and  for  prayer.  The  number  which  met  in  the 
Madeleine  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  C.  and  his  three  fine  boys.  A  more  pleasant  meet- 
ing I  never  attended.  There  we  were  in  a  foreign  land, 
surrounded  by  people  of  a  strange  tongue,  some  of  us 
away  from  our  people,  and  all  of  us  from  our  families 
and  homes,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  people  proverbially 
estranged  from  God.  And  the  word  of  the  Lord  was 
sweet  to  our  taste;  and  we  prayed,  weeping,  for  our 
people,  our  families,  our  home.  That  meeting  for 
prayer  in  Paris  on  the  Sabbath  afternoon  will  not  be 
soon  forgotten  by  any  that  were  there  ! 

As  the  light  of  the  Sabbath's  sun  commenced  waning 
in  the  sky,  and  when  the  mild,  balmy  air  of  evening 
had  succeeded  to  the  rather  oppressive  heat  of  the  day, 
we  went  forth  to  see  for  ourselves  the  way  in  which 
the  Sabbath  evening  is  kept  in  Paris.  We  went  from 
the  palace  of  the  Tuileries,  through  its  garden,  and  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde,  and  the  Champs  Elysees.  Thence 
we  turned  into  the  Boulevards,  and  through  the  Rue 


78  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Sights.  No  Sabbath.  The  Sabbath  a  type. 

Richelieu  home.  And  such  sights  I  never  beheld  !  It 
would  seem  as  if  all  Paris  had  turned  into  the  streets. 
Here  were  soldiers  marching  in  platoons  ;  there  was 
ballad-singing  under  a  canopy,  surrounded  by  people 
sitting  on  benches  and  sipping  wines  and  ices.  Here 
were  elegantly  dressed  girls  dancing  ;  and  there  was  a 
crowd  collected  around  gamboling  monkeys.  Here  was 
a  man  selling  trinkets  at  auction,  and  there  were  gam- 
bling tables.  Here  were  a  few  women  going  to  church, 
and  there  were  crowds  of  men  and  women  rushing  to 
the  theatre  and  opera.  The  Boulevards  were  densely 
crowded  ;  the  shops  were  all  open — their  windows  sur- 
rounded by  admiring  spectators  ;  and  at  short  intervals 
the  sidewalks  were  covered  with  tables,  around  which 
men  and  women  sat,  in  the  open  air,  regaling  them- 
selves with  wines  and  confectionery.  Occasionally  you 
would  come  to  a  stand  in  the  Champs  Elysees  where 
men  were  playing  all  kinds  of  mountebank  tricks,  sur- 
rounded by  hundreds  of  admiring  spectators.  The  res- 
taurants seemed  crowded  by  men,  women,  and  children. 
Not  a  vestige  of  evidence  to  remind  you  of  the  Sabbath 
was  any  place  apparent.  The  whole  route  taken  through 
the  city  wore  the  appearance  of  a  Fourth  of  July  in 
New  York,  when  booths  were  allowed  around  the  Park. 
The  proof  was  positive  that  Paris  at  least  has  no  religion. 
And  it  is  very  remarkable  to  what  an  extent  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Sabbath  is  kept  is  a  type  of  the  moral 
character  of  a  people,  and  of  a  man.  A  Parisian  Sab- 
bath is  as  certain  an  index  to  the  character  of  the 
French,  as  is  a  Sabbath  in  Edinburgh  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Scotch. 

After  visiting  its  churches  during  the  day,  and  tak- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE. 


79 


The  Church's  work.  Frivolity.  A  riddle. 

ing  the  walk  above  described  on  Sabbath  evening,  you 
no  longer  wonder  at  the  character  which  Paris  has  in 
all  the  earth.  The  wealth  of  the  Church  is  spent  in 
fostering  the  arts  ;  the  labors  of  the  clergy  are  expend- 
ed in  vain  ceremonies  ;  there  is  no  instruction  from  the 
pulpit ;  and  all  the  efforts  of  the  priests  are  directed, 
not  to  enlighten  the  people  in  the  knowledge  of  Grod, 
not  to  purify  the  heart,  but  to  gratify  the  senses.  A 
church  is  more  or  less  attractive  according  to  its  wealth, 
its  pictures,  its  statuary,  or  its  relics  in  the  way  of  old 
bones  from  the  catacombs  of  Rome  or  Naples.  And 
people  resort  to  them,  not  to  worship  Grod,  but  in  ac- 
cordance to  custom,  or  as  they  would  resort  to  an 
opera  or  to  an  exhibition  of  the  arts.  The  frivolous 
character  of  the  religion  of  France  is  obvious  even  amid 
their  most  solemn  ceremonials  ;  for  I  have  seen  the 
women  on  their  knees  during  the  elevation  of  the  host, 
praying,  laughing,  talking  ;  now  turning  their  eyes  on 
the  ground ;  now  raising  them  most  piously  on  a  pic- 
ture ;  and  now  turning  them  laughingly  on  their  lov- 
ers or  friends,  without  ever  changing  their  kneeling 
position  ! 

French  character  is  a  riddle.  You  meet  the  French 
in  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  gay,  joyous,  with  hearts 
light  as  down,  and  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  as  full  of  fun, 
frolic,  and  dance  as  you  can  conceive.  So  polite  are 
they,  that  in  cases  where  an  Englishman  would  pass 
on  without  uttering  a  word,  they  will  turn  upon  you 
with  hat  off,  bowing  most  reverently,  and  asking  a 
thousand  pardons.  You  would  not,  you  could  not,  im- 
pute to  them  any  thing  but  a  joyous,  polite,  and  re- 
fined character ;  and  yet  to-morrow  those  very  persons, 


80  MENANDTHINGS 

What  a  change  !  Why  ?  St.  Bartholomew. 

men  and  women,  may  be  furies,  covered  with  scars, 
ragged,  half  naked,  caring  neither  for  Grod  or  man, 
carrying  a  rapier  in  one  hand  and  a  tri-colored  flag 
in  the  other,  and  wading  ankle  deep  in  blood,  to  grat- 
ify their  thirst  for  more.  They  will  raise  barri- 
cades— scale  walls — face  cannon — demolish  prisons — 
burn  thrones,  churches,  or  palaces  —  guillotine  kings 
and  queens,  and  shed  their  own  blood  like  water,  to 
indulge  the  excitement  of  the  hour.  And  why  thus  ? 
Why  so  refined,  polite,  sympathizing  one  day,  and  so 
demoniacal  the  next  ?  The  French  are  morally  unedu- 
cated. Sentiment,  passion,  the  outward,  are  every 
thing  with  them.  They  are  versatile,  inflammable, 
and  atheistic  in  the  undertone  of  their  opinions.  Pope- 
ry is  an  overcoat  to  put  off  or  on  as  suits  the  hour. 
And  when  their  passions  are  up,  there  is  no  great  prin- 
ciple to  guide  them ;  there  is  nothing  in  time  or  eter- 
nity to  fear  ;  and  they  rush  on  like  a  raging  tornado, 
blind  as  the  winds.  With  the  religious  training  and 
principles  of  Scotland,  the  French  would  be  the  noblest 
people  on  the  globe.  The  grand  want  of  France  is  re- 
ligion, and  this  is  a  want  which  Popery  can  never 
supply. 

On  my  Sabbath  evening  stroll  through  Paris,  I 
stood  for  a  few  minutes  before  the  church  St.  Germain 
l'Auxerrois.  As  I  gazed  upon  its  belfry,  my  thoughts 
recurred  to  that  dreadful  period,  the  23d  of  August, 
1572,  when  its  bell  gave  the  signal  for  the  awful  mas- 
sacre of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  tolled  the  death-knell 
of  the  Protestants  of  France  through  the  whole  night, 
while  the  hired  assassins  of  court,  bishops,  and  priests 
were  butchering  Coligny  and  his  fellow-Protestants ! 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  81 

Blood  crying  to  heaven. 

"With  a  shudder  of  horror,  I  turned  away  from  the  sight 
and  went  home.  0  Popery,  the  blood  of  the  millions 
thou  hast  slain  is  pleading  against  thee  before  the 
throne  of  eternal  justice  !  False  in  principle,  fanatical 
in  spirit,  and  ferocious  in  heart,  may  the  Lord  soon 
destroy  thee  with  the  brightness  of  his  rising ! 
D2 


MEN     AND     THINGS 


A  diligence.  Swung  off  and  on. 


CHAPTER    XIY. 

£xit  from  Paris. — A  Diligence. — Beaune. — Chalons. — Abelard  and 
Heloise. — Face  of  the  Country. — French  Villages. — The  Peasan- 
try.— The  Saone. — Ladies'  Dress. — Old  Habits  retained. — Ameri- 
can Peculiarity.— A  Digression. 

Having  spent  what  time  we  had  to  spare  in  Paris, 
we  started  for  Italy  by  the  way  of  Lyons  and  Marseilles. 
We  were  packed  into  a  diligence  at  the  Messageries 
Generates,  Rue  St.  Honore.  This  is  a  traveling  con- 
cern which  can  scarcely  be  described  to  a  person  that 
has  not  seen  it.  It  contains  four  kinds  of  places — the 
coupe  in  front,  the  best  and  dearest;  the  interieur,  or 
middle  apartment ;  the  rotonde,  or  hinder ;  and  the 
banquette,  on  the  top  of  the  vehicle.  The  seats  are 
all  numbered,  and  your  receipt  informs  the  conducteur 
where  to  place  you.  Thus  all  scrambling  for  seats  is 
prevented.  It  will  hold  fifteen  or  twenty  persons. 
There  is  any  amount  of  baggage  on  the  top.  It  is  a 
far  more  comfortable  conveyance  than  any  would  take 
it  to  be  at  first  sight.  In  one  of  these  coaches  we  were 
driven  out  of  the  city  to  the  railway  depot,  when  it 
was  swung  bodily  from  the  wheels  by  a  crane,  and 
placed  on  the  railway  car,  all  retaining  their  seats.  We 
were  yoked  to  the  iron  steam-horse,  and  away  we  went 
through  a  level  country,  the  beautiful  woods  and  village 
of  Fontainebleau,  to  Tonnerre,  then  the  terminus  of 
the  "chemin  de  fer."  There  we  were  again  swung  on 
to  the  wheels  of  a  coach,  and  yoked  to  two  tier  of  horses, 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE. 


Beaune.  Its  history.  Chalons. 


three  abreast ;  we  trundled  along  at  the  rate  of  six  or 
seven  miles  an  hour,  day  and  night,  to  Beaune.  We 
were  dropped  a  little  after  daylight  at,  I  presume,  the 
best  hotel  in  the  town ;  but  every  thing  looked  so  un- 
cared-for that  I  called  for  eggs.  If  fresh,  I  knew  they 
would  be  clean.  After  as  much  of  breakfast  as  sur- 
rounding circumstances  would  permit  us  to  take,  we 
spent  a  few  hours  in  viewing  the  old  town.  Here  is 
the  noble  hospital  of  Nicholas  Rollin,  once  chancellor 
to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  ;  here,  also,  is  a  college, 
which  seemed  neglected  ;  here  are  strong  ramparts, 
planted  with  trees,  which  form  a  magnificent  prome- 
nade ;  but  the  chief  celebrity  of  the  town  is  owing  to 
its  being  the  centre  of  trade  in  the  wine  to  which  it 
gives  its  name,  which  is  a  species  of  the  Burgundy. 
Julien  says  that  the  wines  of  Beaune  have  the  justly 
acquired  reputation  of  being  "le  plus  francs  de  gout 
de  toute  la  Bourgogne." 

By  railway  we  proceeded  from  Beaune  to  Chalons, 
on  the  Saone,  which  we  reached  in  a  short  time.  This 
was  for  many  years  the  capital  of  the  ancient  kingdom 
of  Burgundy,  and  is  yet  a  place  of  considerable  busi- 
ness. The  streets  seemed  dirty,  and  the  place  looked 
as  if  it  might  be  unhealthy.  It  is  low,  marshy,  and 
the  country  very  level.  It  was  here  the  famous  Abe- 
lard  died  in  1142,  whose  varied  and  romantic  history 
is  yet  a  subject  of  interest  to  the  world.  His  intrigues 
with  Heloise  show  to  what  an  extent  passion  and  re- 
ligion, faith  and  falsehood,  love  and  monkery,  were 
mixed  and  mingled  in  the  lives  of  the  ecclesiastics  of 
the  Middle  Ages.  Heloise  begged  his  body  after  his 
death,  and  had  it  buried  in  her  own  monastery,  with 


84  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Abelard  and  Heloise.  Appearance  of  the  country. 

the  view  of  reposing  in  death  by  his  side.  In  1800 
the  ashes  of  both  of  them  were  removed  to  the  Museum 
of  French  monuments  at  Paris,  and  the  exquisite  mon- 
ument in  Pere  la  Chaise  is  erected  to  both  of  them,  as 
the  martyrs  of  love  !  At  Chalons  we  took  a  steamer 
down  the  Saone  to  Lyons. 

In  this  ride  from  north  to  south  we  had  a  fine  op- 
portunity of  seeing  the  country  portions  of  France.  In 
the  main,  the  face  of  the  country  is  very  level,  and  is 
well  cultivated.  The  people  live  in  villages,  and  neither 
horses  nor  cattle  are  seen  dispersed  over  the  country,  as 
in  Britain  or  with  us.  If  now  and  then  you  see  a  cow 
feeding  by  the  wayside,  it  has  always  an  attendant  to 
keep  it  within  bounds.  There  are  no  fences  to  be  seen 
any  where  ;  and  lines  of  trees,  running  for  miles  with- 
out deviating  from  a  straight  line,  constantly  present 
themselves,  until  the  eye  is  weary  of  seeing  them. 
Where  nothing  richer  can  grow,  the  vine  is  sure  to  be 
planted.  The  hills  are  all  vine-clad,  and  are  often 
prettily  terraced  for  its  cultivation.  The  vines  are 
planted  about  as  far  apart  as  are  our  hills  of  corn :  the 
old  stump  seemed  only  a  foot  or  two  high,  and  the 
branches  from  the  stump  are  only  permitted  to  grow 
four  or  five  feet  long.  Thus  the  strength  of  the  tree  is 
thrown  into  the  fruit,  instead  of  being  permitted  to  ex- 
pend itself  in  the  production  of  long  branches  and  many 
leaves.  Vineyards  thus  cultivated  were  every  where 
to  be  seen.  They  ran  up  the  sides  of  ,the  most  steep 
acclivities,  and  capped  the  summit  of  the  highest  hills. 
Because  they  can  stick  a  vine  any  where,  the  entire 
surface  of  the  country  is  producing  something. 

The  villages  through  which  we  passed  present  a  very 


AS     SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  85 

Villages.  The  peasantry.  Fine  sail. 

strong  contrast  to  our  American  villages.  The  streets 
are  so  narrow  as  often  to  make  it  impossible  for  two 
carriages  to  pass  one  another.  The  houses  are  built 
directly  on  the  street,  without  door-yard  or  pavement 
in  front.  Sometimes  the  horses  are  eating  on  the  first 
floor,  while  you  are  dining  or  supping  on  the  second. 
And  the  air  of  neatness,  cleanliness,  comfort,  which 
is  worn  by  our  best  American  villages,  is  generally  ab- 
sent from  those  of  France. 

The  peasantry  also  seemed  uncultivated,  and  in  a 
low  state  of  civilization.  Women  were  every  where 
working  in  the  fields,  and  were  doing  all  kinds  of 
manual  labor.  And  all  along  a  canal,  on  the  borders 
of  which  we  traveled  many  miles,  men  were  drawing 
the  boats.  The  women  seemed  to  be  doing  the  work 
of  men,  and  men  the  work  of  horses.  In  countries 
which  support  large  standing  armies,  the  men  are 
needed  for  arms,  for  the  deadly  breach,  as  food  for  the 
cannon  ;  hence  the  cultivation  of  the  country  must, 
of  necessity,  devolve  upon  women,  if  it  is  done  at  all. 
And,  as  we  shall  narrate  by-and-by,  we  have  seen  men 
directing  gangs  of  women  in  the  field,  as  it  is  said 
drivers  superintend  gangs  of  negroes  in  some  of  our 
Southern  plantations.  When  there,  France  was  a  re- 
public, and  yet  soldiers  were  met  every  where.  The 
people  willed  a  republic,  and  legions  of  armed  men 
were  needed  to  induce  the  people  to  respect  it !  What 
a  riddle  are  the  French  people  ! 

The  sail  down  the  Saone  to  Lyons  was  very  fine. 
The  steamers  on  these  rivers  are  very  narrow  and  very 
long,  and  with  very  little  to  interrupt  a  promenade 
from  stem  to  stern.     We  stopped  at  many  places  to 


86  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Singular  dress.  Attachments  to  forms. 

give  out  and  take  in  passengers,  which  was  done 
adroitly  and  rapidly.  At  one  place  we  took  on  board 
several  females  with  head-dresses  which  excited  the 
wonder  of  those  of  us  who  were  travelers  and  strangers. 
Their  bonnets  I  then  likened  to  a  large  circular  mat 
with  a  thimble  placed  on  the  centre  of  it.  The  thim- 
ble was  placed  over  the  head,  and  the  leaf  was  tied  on 
by  very  wide  and  gorgeous  ribbons.  Their  nether  gar- 
ments were  very  short,  and  their  shoes  quite  in  the  mas- 
culine order.  I  asked  the  captain  who  these  strange- 
looking  persons  were,  who  told  me  that  they  were  very 
respectable  ladies  of  the  place,  wearing  the  dress  pecul- 
iar to  that  locality. 

There  is  nothing  which  strikes  an  American  traveler 
in  Europe  more  strongly  than  the  attachment  to  old 
habits,  fashions,  and  forms  every  where  visible.  The 
guides  through  the  Tower  of  London  are  dressed  as 
harlequins.  The  Lord  Chancellor  of  England  is  buried 
in  an  enormous  wig,  with  sleeves.  The  advocates  plead- 
ing in  court  must  wear  their  gown  and  wig.  "Welch- 
women  wear  hats  like  men.  The  people  in  many  of 
the  departments  of  France  are  distinguished  by  their 
dresses.  They  will  tell  you  in  Rome  to  what  village 
the  people  from  the  country  belong  by  the  fashion  of 
their  garments.  Mountains,  and  rivers,  and  often 
imaginary  lines  divide  kingdoms,  nations,  and  tongues. 
On  one  side  of  a  river  you  find  one  set  of  customs  ;  on 
the  other,  a  very  different  set.  On  one  side  of  a  mount- 
ain you  hear  the  Italian  ;  on  the  other,  the  German, 
or  the  French,  or  a  patois  peculiar  to  the  people.  The 
British  Channel  is  some  twenty  miles  wide,  and  how 
different  the  people,  the  language,  the  religion  on  either 


ASSEENINEUROPE.  87 

Speedy  changes.  Evil  distinctions.  Digression. 

side  of  it.  In  a  few  hours  you  may  fly  from  Liverpool 
to  Wales  and  to  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  these  hours 
"bring  you  among  a  people  who  speak  the  English,  the 
Welsh,  the  Manx  languages.  This  all  seems  singular 
to  us,  who  can  travel  from  east  to  west,  and  from  north 
to  south,  over  a  country  thousands  of  miles  in  extent, 
and  find  among  all  our  people  the  same  language, 
customs,  and  habits.  These  distinctions  tend  to  keep 
up  old  jealousies,  to  foster  prejudices,  to  retain  the  di- 
viding lines  of  races  and  religions,  and  thus  to  obstruct 
the  march  of  civilization  and  Christianity.  They  form 
strings  upon  which  kings,  princes,  and  priests  can  play 
so  as  to  suit  their  own  purposes.  The  people  of  Europe 
need  to  be  shaken  together,  and  to  be  kept  together 
long  enough,  as  it  were  in  some  chemical  retort,  in 
which  they  would  lose  their  peculiarities,  and  from 
which  they  would  come  forth  one  people.  The  great 
peculiarity  of  our  country  is  that  we  take  all  the  vary- 
ing people  from  all  the  varying  nations  of  Europe,  and 
cast  them  into  our  mill,  and  they  come  out  in  the  grist, 
speaking  our  language,  Americans  and  Protestants. 

What  a  digression,  caused  by  those  curiously  dressed 
women  seen  on  our  way  from  Chalons  to  Lyons  ! 


88  MEN      AND     THINGS 

Down  the  Saone.  Lyons.  Its  site. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

The  Saone. — Lyons  :  its  Appearance — its  History. — Peter  de  Vaud. 
— Revolutionary  Scenes. — Precy. — Couthon. — Collot  d'Herbois. — 
Horrid  Murders  by  Jacobins. — Festoons  of  Human  Limbs. — Anec- 
dote of  Dr.  Nesbit. — Fouche. — Death  an  eternal  Sleep. — The  Mob, 
the  most  fearful  of  ail  Governments. 

The  sail  down  the  Saone  from  Chalons  is  a  very- 
pleasant  one.  The  banks  of  the  river  have  a  quiet 
beauty  ;  towns  are  frequent ;  magnificent  bridges  fre- 
quently span  its  current ;  you  catch  occasional  views 
of  the  Alps ;  and,  as  you  approach  Lyons,  its  waters  are 
pressed  into  a  narrow  channel,  rocks  rise  on  either 
hand,  you  shoot  through  a  narrow  gorge,  pass  under 
the  hills  of  Fauvieres  and  Sainte  Foi,  and  are  soon 
landed  upon  the  quays  of  the  "  City  of  Silks."  The 
approach  to  it  by  the  Saone  is  very  fine — "  magnifi- 
cent," was  the  exclamation  of  one  of  our  party.  We 
put  up  at  the  Hotel  l'Univers,  where  we  care  not  to 
lodge  again  until  the  fare  is  a  little  more  in  keeping 
with  the  charges.  They  sustain  to  each  other  an  in- 
verse ratio. 

This  greatest  silk  factory  of  the  world,  and  the  sec- 
ond city  of  France,  is  on  the  tongue  of  land  formed  by 
the  junction  of  the  Saone  and  the  Rhone,  and  on  the 
precise  spot  where  soil,  fuel,  climate,  water,  and  facility 
of  communication  furnish  the  elements  of  a  great  city. 
Both  rivers  are  spanned  by  bridges  of  the  most  solid 
masonry.    The  city  is  crowded — dirty  ;  and  its  narrow 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  89 

Its  history.  De  Vaud.  Terrorists. 

streets,  paved  with  small  stones,  are  often  very  offensive. 
The  rivers  and  mountains  hem  in  the  population  ;  and 
the  streets,  in  some  places,  rise  so  perpendicularly 
against  the  hills  as  to  seem  like  ladders.  There  are 
some  fine  squares,  one  of  which,  Bellecour,  with  a 
statue  of  Louis  XIV.,  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  grandest 
in  Europe.     It  did  not  so  impress  us. 

It  was  not  the  noble  warehouses  that  line  the  rivers, 
nor  its  world-famed  factories,  but  its  histories,  that 
deeply  interested  me.  Lyons  was  the  Lugdunum  of 
the  Romans,  and  was  the  scene  of  the  great  labors  of 
the  Christian  Irenseus.  It  was  the  scene  of  a  fearful 
persecution  against  the  Christians  under  Marcus  Aure- 
lius,  who  were  here  murdered  until  men  became  weary 
of  bloodshed.  Their  murdered  bodies  were  burned, 
and  their  ashes  cast  into  the  rivers,  that  there  might  be 
nothing  of  them  left  to  disgrace  the  world  !  This  was 
the  residence  of  Peter  de  Yaud,  that  eminent  confessor 
of  the  Middle  Ages,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  Walden- 
sian  Christians,  who  from  the  days  of  the  apostles 
have  kept  the  pure  light  of  truth  burning  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Alps.  This  was  a  scene  of  vast  suffering  during 
the  religious  wars  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when,  in 
the  murder  and  banishment  of  the  Huguenots,  France 
cast  from  her  bosom  the  purifying  salt.  Since  then, 
morally,  it  has  been  a  festering  mass  of  corruption. 
But  the  revolutionary  scenes  which  were  here  enacted 
reached  the  very  sublime  of  cruelty. 

The  citizens,  in  self-preservation,  arrayed  themselves 
in  opposition  to  the  Terrorists  of  Paris — Robespierre, 
Danton,  and  Marat.  Under  the  command  of  Precy, 
they  made  a  most  determined  resistance,  and  endured 


90 


MEN     AND    THINGS 


D'Herbois.  Jacobins.  Blood 

an  awful  siege.  After  the  most  heroic  acts  and  endur- 
ance, Precy  fled,  and  Couthon  entered  the  city  at  the 
head  of  the  army  of  the  Convention.  And  soon  there 
commenced  a  scene  of  cold,  ruthless  carnage,  from 
which  the  mind  and  heart  shrink  with  horror.  Collot 
d'Herbois,  a  low  actor  who  was  hissed  from  the  stage, 
and  whose  vanity  was  turned  into  ferocity  by  the  in- 
sult— Fouche,  who  gave  up  the  pursuit  of  the  priest- 
hood for  turmoil  and  intrigue — and  Dorfeuille,  became 
the  leaders  of  the  Jacobins.  Everybody,  man,  woman, 
and  child,  suspected  of  royal  leanings,  or  of  sympathy 
with  Precy,  was  placed  on  the  proscribed  list.  The 
city  was  given  up  to  demolition.  Prisons  were  crowd- 
ed. A  permanent  scaffold  was  erected  in  front  of  the 
town  hall,  where  executions  were  continued  for  ninety 
days  without  interruption.  Sand  was  scattered  on  the 
streams  of  human  blood  every  evening,  which,  by  the 
constant  trampling  of  the  people,  thirsting  to  see  their 
fellow-citizens  die,  became  a  red  and  fetid  mud,  which 
soon  covered  the  square  and  reeked  in  the  air  !  When 
this  could  not  be  longer  endured,  the  scaffold  was  placed 
over  a  sewer,  into  which  the  streaming  blood  ran,  and 
was  carried  into  the  Rhone.  And  when  the  executions 
increased,  like  the  pulsations  of  an  inflamed  body,  the 
scaffold  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  Pont  Morand, 
over  the  river.  The  flowing  blood  was  swept  into  the 
river,  and  the  headless  bodies  and  bodiless  heads  were 
cast  over  the  parapets  of  the  bridge  into  the  "  arrowy 
Rhone  !"  The  very  washerwomen  had  to  move  up  the 
stream  to  prevent  their  clothes  from  being  stained. 
The  victims  were  generally  the  young  men  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country,  whose  age  was  their  crime. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  91 

Horrid  festoons.  A  scourge.  Anecdote. 

But  even  this  wholesale  butchery  was  not  sufficiently 
rapid  to  gratify  the  thirst  of  the  Jacobins  for  the  blood 
of  "  the  aristocrats."  They  were  tied  together  in  com- 
panies, led  across  the  bridge  into  the  low  lands  on  the 
opposite  banks  of  the  Rhone,  placed  in  a  straight  line, 
and  then  mowed  down  by  cannon  !  The  mangled  bod- 
ies of  men  were  hung  upon  the  trees  which  surround 
the  square  Bellecour,  and  festoons  of  limbs  were  ex- 
tended from  tree  to  tree  all  around,  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  the  people  the  power  and  the  vengeance  of 
the  Convention,  of  which  Robespierre  was  now  the 
head. 

And  there  I  was,  walking  over  the  square  once  cov- 
ered with  that  red  and  fetid  mud,  and  under  the  trees 
once  festooned  with  human  limbs,  and  standing  on 
the  bridge  where  the  guillotine  did  such  fearful  execu- 
tion, and  looking  over  upon  the  low  plain  of  the  Brot- 
teaux,  where  those  scenes  of  horror  were  enacted — men 
placed  in  rows  before  the  devouring  cannon  !  It  was 
here  the  anger  of  the  Revolution  rose  up  to  the  power 
of  a  divine  scourge. 

After  a  recital  like  this,  no  person  will  find  fault  with 
the  following  anecdote  told  of  Dr.  Nesbit,  as  famous  for 
his  keen  and  ready  wit  as  for  his  profound  scholarship. 
He  was  at  a  dinner-party  in  Philadelphia  during  the 
progress  of  the  French  Revolution,  when  the  recently 
received  news  from  Europe  was  the  engrossing  topic 
of  conversation.  Several  politicians  of  the  Jefferson 
school  were  there,  strong  in  their  sympathies  with 
French  Republicanism.  The  Doctor  was  silent  for  some 
time.  On  being  asked  his  opinion,  he  gave  it  thus : 
N  I  had,"  said  he,  in  his  broad  Scotch  accent,  "  a  queer 


92  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Hell  emptied.  Fouch6.  Defenses  of  the  right. 

dream  last  night.  I  dreamed  I  died,  and  went  to  hell. 
I  went  to  the  door  and  knocked,  but  nobody  came  to 
open  it.  I  knocked  again  and  again,  but  nobody 
came.  After  knocking  a  good  while,  the  old  de'il  him- 
self came  to  the  door  and  asked  what  I  wanted.  I 
told  him  I  wanted  to  enter  hell.  Gro  your  way,  said 
the  old  fellow,  slamming  the  door  in  my  face,  I  can 
not  let  you  in ;  I  have  nobody  to  take  care  of  you,  for 
all  the  other  de'ils  are  gone  to  help  carry  on  the  French 
Revolution." 

Surely  it  would  seem  as  if  such  men  as  D'Herbois, 
Fouche,  Dorfeuille,  Robespierre,  Danton,Chalier,Dubois- 
Crance,  so  utterly  destitute  of  all  feelings  of  humanity,  so 
utterly  demoniacal  in  disposition,  so  cool  in  their  cruel- 
ties, must  have  been  natives  of  Pandemonium.  Impiety 
with  them  was  patriotism ;  cruelty  was  love  of  liberty ; 
their  love  for  the  poor  they  showed  by  the  murder  of 
the  rich,  and  proclaimed  that  the  French  people  recog- 
nized no  law  or  authority  but  those  of  their  sovereignty 
and  omnipotence  !  It  was  the  human  butcher  Fouche, 
according  to  Lamartine,  who  ordered  a  figure  of  Sleep 
to  be  placed  over  the  gates  of  the  cemeteries,  with  this 
inscription  :  "  Death  is  an  eternal  sleep."  Surely,  in 
his  case,  the  desire  must  have  been  the  father  of  the 
thought,  for  who  would  not  prefer  annihilation  to  a 
resurrection  with  the  blood  of  murdered  thousands 
clamoring  for  vengeance,  and  to  the  scrutiny  of  an  un- 
erring and  omnipotent  Judge,  who  will  by  no  means 
clear  the  guilty ! 

What  scenes  of  fearful  violence  have  been  perpe- 
trated on  our  globe  !  There  is  no  safety  for  the  right, 
the  true,  the  good,  but  in  the  maintenance  of  law  and 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  93 

The  mob,  worse  than  plagues. 

order.  If  these  can  be  maintained  with  free  institu- 
tions, well ;  if  not,  let  them  be  maintained  with  what- 
ever institutions.  A  bad  king  is  a  bad  thing ;  but  a 
ruthless  mob,  with  no  reason  but  passion  ;  yielding  to 
the  advice  of  the  most  violent ;  bent  only  to  gratify  its 
prejudices ;  loud  as  the  thunder  and  blind  as  the  tor- 
nado— this  is  the  worst  thing  earth  knows.  The 
plagues  of  the  Middle  Ages  were  angels'  visits  in  com- 
parison with  it. 


94  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Lyons.  Much  to  fear.  Steamers. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Lyons. — Down  the  Rhine  :  its  Scenery. — Nuns  :  their  Appearance. — 
An  Inference. — A  Contrast. —  A  startling  Incident. —  Avignon. — 
Split  in  the  Popedom:  its  Causes. — The  Popes  of  Avignon:  their 
Palace. — The  butcher  Jourdan. — The  Cathedral. — The  Tarpaean 
Rock. — The  Inquisition.— The  Museum. — Old  Mortality. — A  Con- 
versation with  Mine  Host. — Petrarch  and  Laura. 

We  left  Lyons  without  any  regrets  for  Avignon. 
The  city,  as  you  depart  from  it,  looks,  as  when  approach- 
ing it,  very  fine.  Many  houses  appeared  as  if  they 
were  hung  up  on  the  sides  of  the  hills.  "We  thought 
of  the  crimsoned  waters  that  once  filled  the  channel, 
and  of  the  mutilated  bodies  floating  on  the  waves,  lodg- 
ing on  the  sand-banks,  caught  in  the  shrubbery,  and 
putrefying  in  the  sun  !  But  that  fearful  reign  of  terror 
was  ended,  may  it  not  be  hoped,  never  to  return?  But 
who  knows  wThat  to  hope  or  fear  from  France  ?  Wield- 
ing great  power,  with  a  fickle,  imaginative,  impulsive, 
irreligious,  unprincipled  people,  there  is  much  to  hope, 
there  is  more  to  fear. 

The  steamers  on  the  lower  Rhone  are  very  long  and 
very  narrow.  In  this  thing  they  are  strikingly  pecul- 
iar. They  draw  but  little  water ;  their  accommoda- 
tions are  very  poor.  The  river  is  rapid,  but  shallow. 
The  country  is  broken  into  mountains  and  sharp  rocks ; 
and  here  and  there  you  catch  a  view  of  snowy  mount- 
ain peaks  which  hide  their  heads  in  the  clouds.  On 
either  bank  there  is  a  rapid  succession  of  villages,  which 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  95 

Ruins.  Nuns.  Why  nuns  ? 

seem  very  dirty  and  uncomfortable,  and  some  very  pic- 
turesque residences.  On  the  summit  of  the  hills,  and 
cut  into  the  solid  rocks,  are  seen  ruins  of  castles  and 
fortresses  erected  by  the  barons  and  feudal  lords  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  and  old  walls  and  foundations  which  date 
back  to  the  days  of  Julius  Csesar,  to  whom  this  river 
was  very  familiar.  It  would  seem  impossible  to  build 
any  structure  upon  points  where  some  of  these  huge 
ruins  are  tottering.  Some  panoramic  views  occasion- 
ally present  themselves  of  surpassing  beauty.  The 
noble  bridges  form  quite  an  item  in  the  ever-changing 
scenery,  which  astonish  an  American  by  their  frequen- 
cy, strength,  dimensions,  and  tastefulness. 

We  had  as  fellow-passengers  several  nuns.  To  those 
of  us  from  America,  they  were  objects  of  some  curios- 
ity. The  prima  donna  wore  a  large  crucifix,  and 
moved  with  an  air  of  authority.  She  was  large,  coarse 
in  features,  clumsy  in  her  walk,  and  looked  neither 
like  Lent  nor  (rood  Friday.  To  my  certain  knowledge, 
on  the  day  of  our  travel  she  abstained  not  from  meat 
or  wine.  Her  companions  were  like  her.  All  the  pic- 
tures I  have  seen  of  nuns  represent  them  as  very  pretty, 
but  all  the  nuns  I  have  ever  seen  were  the  reverse ;  and 
my  inference  is,  that  voluntary  nuns  are  those  whose 
convictions  are  deepened  by  every  look  they  take  in  the 
mirror,  that  they  have  but  few  hopes  of  matrimony. 
They  chatted  a  good  deal  together  ;  they  were  by  no 
means  so  rapt  in  meditations  on  the  Virgin  as  not  to 
observe  every  thing  passing  around  them.  They  look- 
ed at  me  as  if  they  suspected  heresy.  At  a  certain 
hour  in  the  afternoon  I  found  them  together  reading  a 
missal,  and  by  their  side  a  fine  Frenchwoman,  of  deli- 


96  MENANDTHINGS 

Representatives.  A  lost  man.  Avignon. 

cately  chiseled  form  and  fine  face,  reading  a  New  Tes- 
tament. I  could  not  help  regarding  them  as  repre- 
sentatives of  the  two  systems  of  Protestantism  and 
Popery. 

There  are  boats  anchored  on  the  Rhone  and  fastened 
to  the  banks,  which  rise  and  fall  with  the  water,  for 
the  debarking  and  embarking  of  passengers.  As  we 
were  approaching  one  of  them,  a  wild  scream  rose  from 
its  deck.  A  Frenchman  who  had  enlisted  for  Africa, 
and  who,  with  knapsack  on  his  back,  was  waiting  to 
come  on  board,  fell  into  the  stream.  It  was  there 
deep  and  very  rapid.  I  saw  him  for  a  minute  or  two, 
with  head  above  the  current,  but  he  sank  to  rise  no 
more !  The  boat  remained  a  few  minutes  longer  on 
account  of  the  accident,  and  then  we  were  away  as  if 
nothing  had  happened  !  His  traveling  companion  came 
on  board,  who  showed  his  feelings  of  sorrow  by  soon 
falling  asleep.  0,  how  little  are  men  impressed  by 
the  passage  of  an  immortal  soul  into  eternity  ! 

"We  left  Lyons  at  six  in  the  morning,  and  at  a  lit- 
tle after  five  in  the  afternoon,  we  were  landed  at  Avig- 
non, under  the  shadow  of  the  towering  cliff  which  over- 
hangs the  Rhone.  We  went  to  the  Hotel  1' Europe, 
one  of  the  most  neat,  pleasant,  and  agreeable  houses 
we  met  in  all  our  travels. 

The  history  of  Avignon  gives  it  an  interest  it  could 
not  otherwise  possess.  Its  streets  are  narrow,  crooked, 
and  unclean  ;  and  it  presents  every  where  the  evidence 
of  decline.  During  the  terrible  split  in  the  Church 
which  boasts  of  its  unity,  seven  popes  reigned  here  from 
1305  to  1377.  Two  great  families  arose  in  the  bosom 
of  Italy,  the  Gruelphs  and  the  Grhibellines,  whose  inter- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  97 

Guelphs  and  Ghibellines.  Popes  of  Avignon. 

ests  came  into  collision.  The  family  quarrel  extended 
through  the  state,  and  through  the  kingdoms  of  Conti- 
nental Europe,  and  through  the  Church.  Princes,  peo- 
ple, and  kingdoms,  as  they  sided  with  this  family  or 
that,  took  their  names.  The  family  quarrel  became, 
in  time,  a  contest  for  principles ;  and  the  wars  of  the 
Gruelphs  and  the  Grhibellines  became  the  struggle  be- 
tween the  spiritual  and  temporal  power,  through  which 
it  was  necessary  for  Western  Europe  to  pass  in  order 
to  break  the  power  of  the  Pope,  which  was  crushing 
all  national  independence.  In  this  quarrel  we  find  the 
causes  of  the  split  in  the  popedom. 

By  the  bribery  and  intrigue  of  Philip  the  Fair,  an 
ambitious  and  mercenary  man,  De  Grot,  was  elected 
Pope,  who  took  the  name  of  Clement  V.,  and,  to  keep 
away  from  the  influence  of  the  Italian  cardinals,  fixed 
his  residence  in  Avignon,  which  had  been  subject  to 
the  Popes  since  the  Albigensian  wars.  After  the  death 
of  De  Grot,  there  were  awful  quarrels  among  the  cardi- 
nals as  to  a  successor.  They  finally  agreed  to  elect 
any  one  that  De  Ossa,  bishop  of  Porto,  would  nominate. 
He,  kind  fellow,  nominated  himself,  and  he  was  install- 
ed in  Avignon  as  John  XXII.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Benedict  XII. ,  a  weak  man,  whose  tomb  is  shown  you 
in  the  old  Cathedral.  To  him  succeeded  two  or  three 
other  men,  famed  for  nothing  but  wickedness  and  du- 
plicity, until  fear  of  marauders  induced  Gregory  XI.  to 
remove  his  court  to  Rome  in  order  to  secure  protection. 
This  residence  of  the  papal  court  in  Avignon  is  called 
by  popish  writers  "  the  Babylonish  captivity  of  the 
Popes"  What  a  blessing  to  the  world  if,  like  the  ten 
tribes,  they  had  been  lost  forever ! 

E 


MEN     AND     THINGS 


Old  palace.  Jourdan.  Cathedral.  Maseam 

And  there  upon  the  top  of  the  rock,  called  De  Dons 
stands  the  old  palace  of  the  popes,  a  Gothic  building, 
with  high,  thick  walls,  and  narrow  windows,  which 
might  serve  for  a  palace,  prison,  or  fortification.  It  is 
now  a  prison  and  a  barrack,  guarded  by  French  sol- 
diery from  all  entrance  by  strangers.  It  was  here  the 
human  butcher,  Jourdan,  perpetrated  his  fearful  mur- 
ders on  men,  women,  and  children. 

And  there,  too,  is  the  old  Cathedral  by  its  side,  where 
popes  said  mass,  and  then  retired  to  intrigue  in  the  af- 
fairs of  kings  and  nations.  We  saw  a  part  of  a  mass 
performed  there,  and  heard,  for  a  few  minutes,  a  lazy- 
looking  priest  harangue  some  old  women  from  a  pulpit. 
He  seemed  earnest,  and  they  sleepy.  And  by  the  old 
palace  stands  a  lofty  tower  upward  of  two  hundred 
feet  high,  from  wrhich  persons  were  cast  down,  for 
summary  death,  during  the  frenzy  of  the  Revolution. 
It  is  the  Tarpsean  rock  of  Avignon.  The  stains  made 
by  the  blood  of  the  murdered  are  yet  pointed  out  to  you 
by  the  guide.  And  in  going  down  to  the  town,  you  are 
led  through  dark  arched  ways,  with  gratings  and  dun- 
geons on  either  hand,  which  -once  belonged  to  that 
"  godly  and  pious  institution,"  the  Inquisition.  0,  if 
those  gratings  and  dungeons  could  speak  ! 

There  is  here  an  old  museum  filled  wTith  curiosities, 
and  having  many  fine  paintings  ;  some  from  the  pen- 
cils of  the  Vernets,  father,  son,  and  grandson.  We  saw 
there  an  old  man  copying  inscriptions  from  the  stones, 
who  seemed  as  old  as  the  stones  themselves,  and  not 
unlike  them  in  color.  He  looked  as  if  disentombed 
with  them.     He  was  certainly  the  Old  Mortality  of 


Avignon. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  99 

Mine  host.  A  short  chat.  Religion  Catholique. 

"  And  where  do  you  go,  Monsieur  ?"  said  my  polite 
host  to  me,  on  paying  my  bill,  and  as  I  ordered  my 
baggage,  and  in  quite  Anglified  French. 

"  To  Rome,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Be  you  a  Catholique  ?"  he  again  asked. 

"No,"  I  replied,  affecting  some  surprise,  "I  am  a 
Protestant ;  there  are  not  many  Catholics  in  America, 
save  those  who  go  there  from  Europe.  The  religion 
of  Popery  does  not  suit  our  institutions." 

With  a  peculiar  shrug  of  the  shoulder,  and  a  pecu- 
liar accent,  which  left  you  in  doubt  whether  he  spoke 
in  fun  or  in  faith,  he  replied,  "  You  do  not  understand 
the  religion  Catholique  in  Amerique.  It  suits  itself  to 
all  the  institutions  in  the  vorld."  But  America  and 
the  world  is  beginning  to  understand  the  "religion 
Catholique,"  and  to  regard  it  as  it  deserves. 

As  this  was  the  residence  of  Petrarch,  and  the  birth- 
place of  Laura,  we  made  some  inquiries  about  them ; 
but  their  names  were  unknown  to  those  of  whom  we 
made  inquiry,  and  we  had  no  time  to  seek  those  better 
informed. 


100  MEN     AND     THINGS 

To  Marseilles.  A  cup.  The  serpent  every  where. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Avignon  to  Marseilles. — Mixed  People. — The  City. — The  Sea. — Po- 
lite Captain. — Marseillaise  Hymn  :  its  History. — Dietrick's  Fate. — 
De  Lisle. — Pensioned  by  Louis  Philippe. — The  Hymn  itself. 

The  ride  by  railway  from  Avignon  to  Marseilles  is  a 
very  pleasant  one.  The  country  is  mostly  level  around 
you,  with  occasionally  broken  hills  and  shaggy  rocks, 
and  glimpses  now  and  then  of  mountains  towering  in 
the  distance.  Its  historical  associations  have  much  to 
interest  the  antiquarian  and  the  Protestant.  The  long- 
est tunnel  we  ever  saw  is  on  this  route,  said  to  be  four 
miles  through  a  solid  rock.  While  passing  through 
it,  the  cars  were  lighted  by  a  lamp  in  their  roof.  With- 
in about  twenty  miles  of  Marseilles,  we  came  on  a  lit- 
tle spot  of  surpassing  beauty,  in  form  like  a  large  wash- 
basin, containing  one  or  two  hundred  acres ;  and  from 
the  bottom  to  the  top  it  was  richly  and  beautifully  cul- 
tivated. The  ways  of  admission  to  it  were  tunneled 
through  its  guardian  rocks.  To  catch  the  sea  breeze, 
you  had  only  to  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  basin  ;  to  bask 
in  a  summer's  sun,  and  to  breathe  the  air  of  Southern 
France  perfumed  with  flowers,  you  had  only  to  de- 
scend to  its  bottom.  A  more  beautiful  spot  I  never 
beheld ;  and  yet,  as  if  there  can  be  no  Eden  without 
a  serpent,  it  was  marred  by  women  performing  field- 
labor,  and  driving  about  mules  and  asses.  In  about 
three  hours  from  the  time  we  left  Avignon,  we  were 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  101 

Mixed  people.  Commissionaire.  Thoughts  at  sea. 

put  down  at  Marseilles,  an  old  sea-port  town,  and  the 
great  depot  of  France  on  the  Mediterranean. 

Here  we  found  ourselves  at  once  in  a  new  climate 
and  among  a  mixed  people.  French,  English,  Jews, 
Turks,  Arabs,  we  met  every  where.  The  Frank,  with 
his  unvarying  mustache ;  the  Jew,  with  his  long  heard ; 
the  Turk,  with  his  turban  ;  the  Arab,  with  his  bishop's 
sleeves  on  his  thighs,  were  to  us  objects  of  curiosity. 
Here  we  expected  to  meet  a  party  from  which  we  sep- 
arated in  Paris,  but  they  had  left  for  us  a  note,  and 
passed  on.  "We  soon  found  ourselves,  to  our  sorrow,  in 
the  hands  of  a  "  commissionaire,"  a  kind  of  waiter  to 
be  met  at  the  principal  hotels,  to  accommodate  and  to 
fleece  strangers.  Against  these  horse-leeches,  every 
where,  from  London,  all  the  way  round  again  to  Lon- 
don, I  would  warn  every  traveler.  When  I  go  abroad 
again,  I  will  be  my  own  "  commissionaire." 

Though  a  very  old  city,  Marseilles  has  but  few  ob- 
jects of  interest.  It  was  founded  six  hundred  years 
before  Christ.  It  early  became  an  ally  of  Rome.  Hav- 
ing espoused  the  side  of  Pompey,  it  was  besieged  and 
taken  by  Ceesar.  Subsequently  it  became  famous  for 
its  commerce,  its  fine  sailors,  and  for  its  schools  of  learn- 
ing. In  the  opinion  of  Cicero,  it  was  "  the  Athens  of 
Gaul" 

It  was  here  we  had  our  first  view  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea,  so  associated  with  all  my  recollections  of  ear- 
ly classical  studies.  And  when  we  trod  the  deck  of  the 
steamer  Bosphore,  as  she  was  plowing  her  way  to  Na- 
ples, we  thought  of  the  fleets  of  Agamemnon,  of  Ulys- 
ses, and  of  the  dangers  of  iEneas,  and  of  Paul,  upon 
the  same  waves  !     The  weather  was  very  fine,  and  the 


102 


MEN     AND     THINGS 


Severe  test.  French  politeness.  Marseillaise  Hymn. 

sea  seemed  as  blue  and  placid  as  if  made  of  molten 
glass. 

My  friend  and  myself  were  the  only  persons  speak- 
ing English  on  board,  and  we  had  the  fine  cabin  to  our- 
selves. Our  little  French  was  put  to  a  severe  test ; 
and  when  laughing  at  our  blunders,  in  the  way  of  apol- 
ogy, I  would  sometimes  say  to  the  captain,  "  Je  parle 
la  langue  Francaise  tres  mauvais."  And,  without  a 
smile,  he  would  reply  with  energy  and  emphasis,  "  Tres 
bien,  tres  bien,  monsieur  "  An  Englishman  will  smile 
at  your  mistakes,  and  sometimes  ridicule  you  because 
of  them  ;  a  Frenchman,  never.  But  he  is  often  polite 
at  the  expense  of  his  sincerity.  And  the  not-under- 
standing look  of  the  captain,  as  we  asked  him  some 
questions,  and  his  "  non  comprendre,  monsieur,"  at  the 
close,  formed  a  contrast  with  his  "  tres  bien,  monsieur," 
broad  enough  even  to  prove  to  him  that  he  flattered  our 
French  beyond  its  merits.  Beyond  a  certain  point,  flat- 
tery becomes  fun,  if  not  falsehood.  So  I  must  regard 
all  flattery  of  my  French  until  I  understand  it  better. 

The  "  Marseillaise  Hymn"  was  associated  in  my 
mind  with  the  city  of  Marseilles,  and,  supposing  it  was 
written  there,  I  made  some  inquiry  in  reference  to  it. 
As  a  national  song,  it  had  prodigious  influence  during 
the  Revolution ;  and  so  often  has  it  been  sung,  with  joy, 
by  Terrorists,  Jacobins,  and  Revolutionists,  and  heard 
with  paleness  and  trembling  by  the  friends  of  mon- 
archy and  legitimacy,  that  it  is  engraved  on  the  very 
soul  of  France.     Its  awful  chorus, 

"  Aux  armes,  citoyens  !  formez  vos  battaillons  ! 
Marchons  !  qu'un  sang  impur  abreuve  nos  sillons  !" 

has  often  caused  the  blood  of  the  man  in  blouse  to  boil 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  103 

Its  history.  De  Lisle.  The  hymn  written. 

over,  and  that  of  the  aristocrat  to  freeze.     Its  history- 
is  in  this  wise  : 

Early  in  the  Revolution,  Rouget  de  Lisle,  a  native 
of  the  Jura  Mountains,  was  a  young  officer  of  the  gar- 
rison at  Strasburg.  He  was  a  musician,  a  poet,  a  sol- 
dier. He  was  often  an  inmate  there  of  the  family  of 
one  Dietrick,  with  whose  daughters  he  became  a  fa- 
vorite. The  family  was  poor  but  patriotic.  "  I  have 
one  bottle  of  wine  left,"  said  Dietrick  one  evening  to 
his  daughters  :  "  bring  it,  and  we  will  drink  to  liberty 
and  our  country.  Our  city  is  going  to  have  a  patriot- 
ic ceremony,  and  De  Lisle  must  compose  a  hymn  for 
the  occasion."  The  bottle  was  brought  and  exhausted. 
De  Lisle  retired  at  midnight,  his  whole  soul  inflamed. 
He  spent  the  night  humming  and  rhyming,  rhyming 
and  humming.  He  dozed.  Rising  with  the  day,  he 
wrote  the  hymn  and  the  tune.  He  called  the  family 
of  Dietrick  together,  and  a  few  other  friends.  They 
were  all  musicians,  and  loved  poetry.  They  sang, 
they  wept,  they  rejoiced  together.  The  national  song 
of  France  was  written.  It  flew  from  club  to  club,  from 
city  to  city.  It  was  sung  at  the  opening  of  all  the 
clubs  of  Marseilles.  A  band  of  young  men,  called  "  the 
Confederates  of  Marseilles,"  marched  to  Paris  to  aid  the 
conspirators  there.  These  confederates  received  the 
name  of  Marseillaise  ;  and,  singing  the  hymn  as  they 
went,  it  spread  over  France  like  lightning.  Hence  its 
name,  "the  Marseillaise  Hymn."  The  language  and 
the  tune  are  peculiarly  exciting,  and,  when  sung  in  full 
chorus,  is  said  to  inspirit  even  a  horse  for  the  battle. 
Its  singing  was  forbidden  by  the  Bourbons,  but  in  the 
revolution  of  1830  it  became  again  the  national  song. 


104  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Poor  Dictrick.  The  author.  Pensioned 

But  the  history  of  this  famous  hymn  is  not  ended. 
Dietrick,  whose  wine  and  exhortation  inspired  the  poet 
to  write  it,  was  marched  to  the  scaffold,  to  the  sound 
of  the  notes  first  sung  in  his  own  house  by  the  aid  of 
his  family  and  a  few  friends!  Nor  is  this  all.  The 
author  himself  was  proscribed,  and  fled.  In  passing 
along  the  wild  gorges  of  the  Alps,  he  heard  its  wild 
notes  rising  around  him,  and  he  shuddered.  "  "What 
do  they  call  that  hymn  ?"  he  asked  the  guide.  "  The 
Marseillaise,"  was  the  reply.  He  himself  called  it  "An 
offering  to  Liberty."  It  was  thus  he  first  knew  the 
name  under  which  his  hymn  was  destined  to  immor- 
tality. It  is  right  to  add  that  Louis  Philippe,  on  as- 
cending the  throne  of  France,  found  out  Rouget  de 
Lisle,  who  was  then  seventy  years  old,  and  granted 
him  a  pension  of  1500  francs  from  his  own  private 
purse. 

This  digression  will  be  forgiven  by  those  who  have 
any  true  conception  of  the  hymn  and  its  influence.  It 
is  caused  by  the  power  of  association,  the  name  of  the 
city  suggesting  the  national  song.  It  may  induce  some 
reader  to  cultivate  an  acquaintance  with  perhaps  the 
most  exciting  and  soul-stirring  national  anthem  ever 
written.  We  know  of  no  good  English  translation  of 
it,  and  we  give  the  hymn  as  corrected  by  Lamartine. 

THE  MARSEILLAISE. 

i. 
Allons,  enfants  de  la  patrie, 
Le  jour  de  gloire  est  arrive ! 
Contre  nous,  de  la  tyrannie 
L'etendart  sanglant  est  leve. 
Entendez  vous  dans  ces  campagnes 
Mugir  ces  feroces  soldats ! 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  105 

The  Marseillaise  Hymn. 

lis  viennent  j usque  dans  vos  bras 

Egorger  vos  fils  et  vos  compagnes  ! 
Aux  armes,  citoyens  !  formez  vos  bataillons  ! 
Marchons  !  qu'un  sang  impur  abreuve  nos  sillons  ! 

ii. 
Que  veut  cette  horde  d'esclaves, 
De  traitres,  de  rois  conjures  1 
Pour  qui  ces  ignobles  entraves 
Ces  fers  des  longtemps  prepares  1 
Fran9ais,  pour  vous,  ah  !  quel  outrage, 
Quels  transports  il  doit  exciter ! 
C'est  vous  qu'on  ose  mediter 
De  rendre  a  l'antique  esclavage  ; 
Aux  armes,  &c. 

in. 
Quoi !  ces  cohortes  etrangeres 
Feraient  la  loi  dans  nos  foyers  1 
Quoi !  ces  phalanges  mercenaires 
Terrasseraient  nos  peres  guerriers  1 
Grand  Dieu  !  par  des  mains  enchainees, 
Nos  fronts  sous  le  joug  se  ploieraient ; 
De  vils  despotes  deviendraient 
Les  maitres  de  nos  destinees  ! 
Aux  armes,  &c. 

IV. 

Tremblez,  tyrans  !  et  vous,  perfldes, 
L'opprobre  de  tous  les  partis  ! 
Tremblez,  vos  projets  parricides 
Vont  enfin  recevoir  leur  prix  ! 
Tout  est  soldat  pour  vous  combattre : 
S'ils  tombent  nos  jeunes  heros, 
La  France  en  produit  les  nouveaux, 
Contre  vous  tout  prets  a  se  battre. 
Aux  armes,  &c. 


Francais,  en  guerriers  magnanimes, 
Portez  ou  retenez  vos  coups  ; 
Epargnes  ces  tristes  victimes 
A  regret  s'armant  contre  vous. 

E2 


106  MEN    AND    THINGS 

The  Marseillaise  Hymn. 

Mais  ces  despotes  sanguinaires, 
Mais  les  complices  de  Bouille, 
Tous  ces  tigres  sans  pitie 
Dechirent  le  sein  de  leur  mere. 
Aux  armes,  &c. 

VI. 

Amour  sacre  de  la  patrie, 
Conduis,  soutiens  nos  bras  vengeurs  ! 
Liberte,  liberte  cherie, 
Combats  avec  tes  defenseurs  ! 
Sous  nos  drapeaux  que  la  Victoire 
Accoure  a  tes  males  accents  ; 
Que  tes  ennemis  expirants 
Voient  ton  triomphe  et  notre  gloire ! 
Aux  armes,  &c. 

VERSE    SUNG    BY    CHILDREN. 

Nous  entrerons  dans  la  carriere, 
Quand  nos  aines  n'y  seront  plus ; 
Nous  y  trouverons  leur  poussiere 
Et  la  trace  de  leurs  vertus  ! 
Bien  moins  jaloux  de  leur  survivre 
Que  de  partager  leur  cercueil, 
Nous  aurons  le  sublime  orgueil 
De  les  venger  ou  de  les  suivre ! 
Aux  armes,  &c. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  107 

Mediterranean.  Leghorn.  Bribery  and  corruption 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Sail  to  Leghorn. — A  Day  in  its  Bay. — Robbing  by  Passports. — Leg- 
horn from  the  Sea. — Corsica. — Napoleon. — A  great  Man  a  great 
Need. — Civita  Vecchia :  its  Fortress. — Placard  on  Notre  Dame. — 
Civita  Vecchia  from  the  Sea. — Ostia. — Bay  of  Naples. — Landing 
in  Italy. 

Our  sail  down  the  Mediterranean  was  remarkably- 
pleasant.  The  sea  was  as  quiet  to  Leghorn  as  an  in- 
land lake  on  a  calm,  bright  summer's  day.  Until  mid- 
night we  gazed  upon  the  heavens  above  us,  studded 
with  stars,  which  were  reflected  from  the  glassy  bosom 
of  the  sea,  and  with  imaginations  filled  with  dreamy 
thoughts  of  the  scenes  which  a  thousand  ages  sinqe 
had  transpired  on  these  waters,  we  went  to  our  state- 
room. We  awoke  in  Livornia,  as  the  French  call 
Leghorn. 

After  looking  around  us,  and  knowing  our  circum- 
stances, we  needed  no  valet  to  inform  us  that  we  were 
in  Italy.  A  strong  fortress  on  our  right  was  guarded 
by  Austrian  soldiers  in  white  or  wool-colored  blouse. 
Our  passports,  given  to  our  captain  at  Marseilles,  were 
sent  ashore  to  get  for  us  permission  to  land,  but  no 
permission  came.  "We  wished  simply  to  land  to  see 
the  city  ;  but  there  was  no  landing  without  paying  a 
bribe  to  the  police.  Every  thing  in  Italy  goes  by 
"bribery  and  corruption."  We  declined  the  bargain, 
and  were,  in  consequence,  confined  to  the  deck  of  our 
steamer  all  day,  gazing  upon  boats,  ships,  soldiers, 


108  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Intense  extortion.  Passports.  Leghorn  from  the  sea. 

sailors,  priests,  Jews,  Arabs,  and  Frenchmen,  scolding 
and  jabbering  all  around  us.  The  extortion  hitherto 
practiced  on  us  was  endurable,  but  in  Italy  it  became 
insufferable  from  its  intensity  and  frequency,  and  this 
mainly  through  the  system  of  passports.  Consuls, 
captains,  keepers  of  hotels,  porters,  commissionaires, 
waiters,  custom  and  police  officers,  are  united  in  a 
great  conspiracy  to  plunder  travelers.  Consuls,  against 
law  and  instruction,  charge  for  signing  your  passport, 
and  on  entering  and  leaving  the  city  it  has  to  be  re- 
signed and  repaid.  You  can  not  turn  round  without 
paying  for  the  privilege.  If  you  enter  a  church  or 
museum,  a  person  demands  your  cane  or  umbrella,  and 
you  have  to  pay  for  their  release.  You  are  followed 
every  where  by  the  most  perfect  system  of  annoyance, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  getting  your  money.  The  sys- 
tem of  passports  was  designed  to  catch  rogues,  and  to 
prevent  the  going  at  large  of  political  disturbers  of  the 
peace  of  tyrants,  but  it  is  retained  for  the  purpose  of 
robbing  honest  travelers.  It  is  the  burden  of  complaint 
every  where  and  by  every  body,  and  Britain  and 
America  should  interfere  to  break  it  up.  The  nearer 
you  get  to  the  seat  of  the  Pope,  the  more  you  are  "  out 
of  humanity's  reach." 

A  little  bustle,  and  our  boat  was  to  sea  again  for 
Civita  Yecchia.  From  the  bay  of  Leghorn  we  had  a 
good  view  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  The 
city  is  directly  on  the  sea,  and  presents  nothing  invit- 
ing. The  hills  surrounding  it  are  dotted  with  houses 
unsheltered  by  trees.  But  few  houses  and  no  trees 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  country ;  hence  it  presents  from 
the  sea  a  very  dreary  and  barren  aspect.     On  our  way 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  109 

Corsica  and  Elba.  Need  a  great  man.  Civita  Vecchia. 

down  we  passed  the  islands  of  Corsica  and  Elba,  whose 
only  interest  is  their  connection  with  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte— the  one  as  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  the  other 
of  his  confinement  for  a  few  months.  They  are  with- 
in sight  of  one  another  and  of  Italy.  That  great  man 
has  impressed  his  character  upon  Europe.  You  meet 
with  the  traces  of  his  power  and  genius  every  where. 
0,  for  another  such  man,  with  all  his  genius  and  more 
than  his  morals.  What  Europe  now  wants  is  a  great 
man.  A  man  uniting  in  himself  the  genius  of  Napo- 
leon and  the  virtue  of  Washington,  would  be  Heaven's 
greatest  gift  at  this  hour  to  Continental  Europe.  Be- 
fore such  a  man  the  demon  of  despotism  would  fall 
prostrate  ;  petty  and  priestly  tyrants  would  flee  away ; 
the  hearts  of  all  desponding  patriots  would  be  filled 
with  hope  and  joy  ;  there  would  be  a  universal  rising 
of  all  those  sighing  in  silence  over  their  mental  and 
moral  slavery ;  and  free  institutions  would  rise  like 
magic,  from  the  North  Cape  to  the  Mediterranean,  and 
from  the  Straits  of  Dover  to  the  Sea  of  Azof.  The 
whole  earth  should  cry  to  heaven  for  such  a  man ! 

We  awoke  in  the  morning  at  the  sea-port  of  Rome, 
Civita  Vecchia,  and  within  the  temporal  dominions  of 
the  Pope  !  The  stern  towers  were  frowning  around  us 
in  our  very  narrow  harbor,  and  the  third  and  fourth 
stories  of  white  brick  houses  were  looking  over  the 
fortifications  upon  us.  French  soldiers  were  in  all  the 
fortresses,  and  the  Papal  flag  floated  from  all  their  sum- 
mits. Churches  and  crosses  seemed  numerous — the 
ringing  of  mass  and  convent  bells  was  incessant.  One 
of  the  fortifications  bore  the  inscription  that  it  was 
erected  by  Pope  Alexander  VII.,  another  by  Pius  VII., 


110  MEN'     AND     THINGS 

Horrible  placard.  .om  the  sea.  QMfcl 

while  yet  another  bore  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Pope,  in 

heavy      ;    -relief.      "What  inscriptions  on  towers  and 

bulwarks  by  those  pretending  to  be  the  vicars  of  Jesus 

Christ,  who  came  to  bring  good  tidings  of  great  joy  to 

all  people  !     Is  it  not  a  wonder  the  priests  themselves 

do  not  see  the  baseness  of  their  impositions  upon  the 

credulity  of  the  ignorant,  and  for  very  shame  abandon 

them !     No   wonder   that   these  shaven-pated   sinners 

were   horror-struck   on   learning  that   a   placard   was 

placed  one  night  on  the  door  of  Notre  Dame  at  Paris, 

the  object  of  which  was   to  contrast  Christ  and  the 

Pope  as  shepherds.     It  was  to  this  amount : 

i.rist  gave  his  life  for  the  sheep. 
The  Pope  takes  the  life  of  the  sheep." 

Looking  back  upon  Civita  Vecchia  from  the  deck  of 
our  steamer  as  we  departed  for  Naples,  it  looks  as  in- 
significant as  it  is.  There  are  small  hills  in  the  back- 
ground surmounted  by  stunted  pines,  but  the  whole 
face  of  the  country  looks  as  barren  as  Popery  can 
make  it.  Every  thing  seems  smitten  with  death  or 
disease.  No  houses — no  tillage — no  flocks  or  lowing 
herds — no  trees,  fences,  or  vineyards.  The  country 
was  once  settled  ;  and  why  not  now  ?  Late  in  the  af- 
ternoon old  Ostia  came  to  view.  Win  were  near  enough 
to  B  v  houses,  but  not  a  sail,  nor  a  boat  of  any 

kind  or  description  was  there  to  indicate  the  mouth  of 
the  Tiber  !  0.  what  a  change  from  the  time  when 
the  richest  argosies  sought  its  channel,  to  deposit  their 
richest  cargoes  of  treasures  in  the  lap  of  her  who  sat 
proudly  on  the  seven  hills  as  mistress  of  the  world  ! 
••  And  is  that  Ostia  ?"  said  I.  with  an  air  of  surprise, 
to  our  captain.      ,;  Qui,  Monsieur,"  he   replied,  with 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  Ill 

Waking  up.  Vesuvius.  Landing  in  Naples. 

such  a  toss  of  both  his  shoulders  as  seemed  for  a  mo- 
ment to  bury  his  head  between  them. 

After  spending  a  third  night  upon  the  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean,  we  awoke  in  the  morning  in  the  thrice 
beautiful  Bay  of  Naples.  The  heavy  splash  of  the  an- 
chor in  the  waters  broke  our  slumbers.  I  raised  my- 
self in  my  berth,  and  opened  the  window  of  my  state- 
room to  see  where  I  was,  and  what  was  the  matter, 
and  lo  !  the  very  first  object  that  arrested  my  eye  was 
the  smoking  summit  of  the  fiery  Vesuvius  !  The  de- 
sire indulged  from  the  hour  I  first  read  of  a  volcano 
was  now  gratified,  and  there  before  me,  belching  forth 
volumes  of  smoke,  stood,  although  one  of  the  smallest, 
yet  one  of  the  most  famous  of  them  all  !  The  emo- 
tions it  excited  within  me  I  can  not  describe. 

The  boats  to  carry  us  and  our  baggage  to  the  Cus- 
tom-house were  soon  in  waiting  for  us.  As  we  de- 
scended the  ladder,  a  voice  from  below  asked,  "Is  there 
any  body  here  for  the  Hotel  New  York  ?"  The  name 
of  the  hotel,  and  a  man  speaking  English,  attracted 
our  attention;  we  took  him  for  our  guide.  We  landed, 
and  here  first  touched  Italian  soil.  Every  thing  seemed 
new,  strange,  peculiar.  Such  hosts  of  beggars  sunning 
themselves  by  the  water's  side,  and  so  ragged  and 
filthy  !  Such  crowds  of  soldiers  meeting  us  every 
wdiere,  at  every  corner !  Such  swarms  of  priests  trip- 
ping along  in  three-cornered  hats  and  long  dresses, 
pinned  up  at  one  side  so  as  to  facilitate  their  walking  ! 
Such  swarms  of  donkeys,  laden  with  commodities  often 
twTice  their  own  size,  and  a  driver  sitting  on  the  top 
to  boot!  Every  thing  was  new,  and  many  surprising. 
With  very  little  trouble  we  passed  the  Custom-house, 


112  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Pleasantly  lodged. 

and  were  soon  pleasantly  lodged  in  a  room  facing  the 
magnificent  bay,  and  from  which,  day  and  night,  we 
could  look  out  upon  one  of  the  most  beautiful  panora- 
mic views  in  the  world,  one  of  whose  attractive  objects 
is  the  perpetually  smoking  Vesuvius. 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  113 

Naples.  Monastery.  Penance  for  having  tongues. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Naples. —  Carthusian  Monks. —  The  entire  View. — Vesuvius. — Her- 
culaneum. — Pompeii. —  Cemetery. — The  Morals  of  the  People. — 
Naples  thoroughly  Popish. — Its  Beggars. — Its  Priests. — Its  Igno- 
rance.— Its  Superstitions. — Its  Wickedness. — Its  awful  Despotism. 
— Ferdinand  the  "  Model  King." — The  blessings  of  Popery. 

There  is  an  old  saying  among  the  Neapolitans,  "see 
Naples  and  die."  It  is  certainly  a  city  beautiful  for 
situation.  The  hay  is  a  deep  crescent,  and  the  city,  in 
horse-shoe  form,  rises  all  around  it.  As  you  are  rowed 
to  the  place  of  landing,  the  hill  on  which  frowns  the 
Castle  of  St.  Elmo  rises  before  you  ;  on  one  heel  of  the 
horse-shoe  stands  the  smoking  Vesuvius,  on  the  other 
a  headland  crowded  with  houses,  and  famous  for  the 
perhaps  fabled  tomb  of  Yirgil.  And  the  city  itself  is 
mainly  built  on  the  declivity  of  a  mountain,  rising 
from  the  water  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre  to  its 
summit.  The  very  summit  is  crowned  with  the  Castle, 
strongly  fortified.  And  just  beneath  it  is  a  capacious 
convent,  from  whose  windows,  porches,  and  walls  may 
be  taken  the  most  enchanting  views  of  the  city,  the 
bay,  the  islands,  the  fiery  mountain,  and  of  every  thing 
which  has  given  the  Bay  of  Naples  the  pre-eminence 
for  beauty.  This  is  the  Carthusian  monastery  of  S. 
Martino,  whose  inmates,  it  is  said,  but  rarely  speak- 
thus  doing  penance  for  the  sin  of  having  tongues  ! 
Although  famed  in  history  for  its  many  and  terrible 
rebellions,  and  now  for  the  ferocity  and  brutality  of 


114  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Herculaneum.  Pompeii. 


its  princely  and  priestly  despotism,  it  bears  the  name 
of  fide lis si ma  ;  but  this  describes,  not  its  moral  char- 
acteristics, but  its  beautiful  situation,  its  fertile  soil, 
its  balmy  atmosphere,  its  clear  blue  sky,  and  its  other 
manifold  physical  blessings.  Indeed,  as  you  breathe 
its  mild  air,  and  gaze  upon  its  splendid  scenery,  as  you 
slowly  run  your  eye  along  the  splendid  panorama,  from 
Yesuvius  on  the  right,  over  Capri  and  Ischia,  to  Pau- 
silippo  on  the  left,  you  soon  feel  a  heart  beating  within 
you  with  pulsation  so  generous,  as  to  induce  you  to 
forgive  the  lazy  Neapolitan  who  would  insist  that 
"  Naples  is  a  piece  of  heaven  fallen  down  to  earth." 

Naples,  its  points  of  beauty,  its  surrounding  curiosi- 
ties, its  famed  antiquities,  have  been  very  often  de- 
scribed. As  seen  from  the  shore,  Vesuvius,  with  its 
twin  mountain,  seems  like  two  eggs  of  immense  size, 
joined  from  centre  to  bottom,  but  separated  at  the  top 
— the  one  an  extinguished,  the  other  a  smoking  vol- 
cano. Herculaneum  is  between  the  mountain  and  the 
city,  yet  buried  under  the  lava  which  is  congealed 
there  into  a  solid  rock,  hard  as  flint.  You  enter  it  by 
a  rough  descent,  with  lighted  torches.  Pompeii,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  volcano,  and  about  fourteen  miles  from 
Naples,  was  buried  in  cinders  and  ashes,  which  are 
easily  removed.  It  is  uncovered,  and  looks  somewhat 
as  would  have  done  "  the  burnt  district"  of  New  York, 
after  the  fire  of  1835,  if  the  walls  had  been  left  stand- 
ing up  to  the  first  or  second  story,  and  the  rubbish  all 
removed.  You  walk  along  its  open  streets,  under  a 
burning  sun,  with  nothing  to  fear  but  lizards,  which 
are  jumping  and  crawling  around  you  in  myriads.  Its 
history,  but  nothing  else,  is  intensely  interesting.    The 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  115 

Amphitheatre.  Cemetery.  Moral  state. 

Amphitheatre,  where  gladiators  fought  with  wild  beasts, 
with  its  seats  of  marble,  sufficient  to  accommodate 
thousands,  rising  one  above  another,  is  a  noble  ruin, 
and  in  fine  preservation.  The  Cemetery  of  Naples,  of 
which  but  few  travelers  have  taken  notice,  is  a  place 
of  great  beauty,  far  surpassing  that  of  Pere  la  Chaise. 
In  its  centre  is  a  vast  under-ground  room,  over  which 
extends  an  open  yard,  with  many  trap-doors  in  it,  into 
which  the  poor  dead  are  cast,  with  or  without  clothes, 
as  they  may  have  any  or  none  ;  but  the  tombs  of  the 
rich  are  often  superb.  Shelves  for  coffins,  eight  or  ten 
high,  are  made  in  walls  of  solid  masonry.  These 
shelves  are  closed  on  the  interment  of  a  body.  Some 
large  chapels  are  filled  in  this  way,  the  walls  around 
being  crowded  with  the  dead,  and  covered  with  inscrip- 
tions from  floor  to  ceiling. 

But  that  which  had  for  us  most  interest  was  the 
moral  state  of  the  people.  Here,  perhaps,  of  all  other 
places  in  Christendom,  has  Popery  all  things  to  its 
mind.  The  king  and  queen  are  intensely  popish.  It 
was  to  the  protection  of  the  Neapolitan  king  the  Pope 
fled  from  Rome.  The  security  which  Pio  Nono  could 
not  find  in  Rome  or  the  Vatican,  he  found  at  G-aeta 
and  in  the  palace  of  Portici,  under  the  shadow  of  Ve- 
suvius. Here  he  was  worshiped  as  the  vicegerent  of 
heaven,  when  he  was  regarded  on  the  Tiber  as  a  tyrant. 

And  the  priests  have  every  thing  to  their  desire  in 
Naples.  The  king,  queen,  government  —  the  systems 
of  religious  instruction  and  of  education,  are  entirely 
in  their  hands.  And  so  it  has  been  for  ages.  Naples, 
with  all  its  institutions,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  priests 
as  the  clay  is  in  the  hands  of  the  potter ;  and  here  is 


116  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Beggars  and  priests.  The  people  ignorant. 

the  place  where,  without  let  or  hindefance,  Popery  has 
had  the  grandest  opportunity  of  showing  its  tendencies 
and  producing  its  fruits.  And  what  are  its  influences 
and  fruits,  as  seen  in  the  religious  and  moral  state  of 
the  people? 

The  moment  you  place  your  foot  on  the  quay  of  Na- 
ples, you  feel  at  once  that  you  have  landed  in  a  city 
of  beggars.  You  meet  them  on  landing — they  dog 
you  to  the  custom-house — to  your  carriage — to  your 
hotel.  They  meet  you  in  the  streets,  and,  if  you  give 
away  a  few  coppers,  they  swarm  around  you.  You 
see  them  in  groups  upon  all  the  quays,  around  all  the 
churches,  in  all  the  public  squares,  and  in  all  kinds  of 
mutilation  and  rags.  They  sleep  in  the  markets,  or 
on  the  steps,  or  in  the  porches  of  churches  ;  and  in  the 
city  of  Naples  there  are  said  to  be  thirty  thousand  and 
upward  of  the  most  beggarly-looking  beggars  to  be 
seen  in  the  world.  And  yet  every  thing  you  see  in 
the  shape  or  dress  of  a  priest,  save  the  wretched-look- 
ing mendicant  monks,  are  clothed  in  fine  black  cloth, 
and  fine  linen,  and  silk  stockings,  and  shining  shoe- 
buckles,  and  look  as  if  they  fared  sumptuously  every 
day.  The  priests  of  Naples  are  the  most  sleek,  rotund, 
joyous,  well-fed,  self-satisfied  set  of  looking  men  I  ever 
saw.  They  look  and  act  as  if  they  were  in  clover. 
Somehow  or  other,  priests  and  beggars  swarm  together. 
Where  is  an  exception  ? 

Naples  is  a  city  of  ignorance.  There  are  humane 
and  charitable  institutions  there,  but  there  is  no  system 
of  education  that  has  in  view  the  masses.  None  of  those 
swarming  beggars  can  read.  Such  is  the  fact  as  to  the 
tier  of  people  above  the  beggars.     The  merest  fraction 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  117 

No  education.  Sights.  Priests  and  wickedness. 

of  the  people  know  how  to  read.  There  is  a  college  for 
the  sons  of  the  aristocracy,  whose  students  wear  a  mil- 
itary uniform ;  there  are  schools  where,  at  great  ex- 
pense, the  children  of  the  wealthy  may  be  educated. 
But  nothing  is  done  for  the  instruction  of  the  people. 
There  are  neither  "  godless"  nor  godly  schools  there. 
Hence  Naples  is  an  ignorant  city.  Somehow  or  other, 
priests  and  ignorance  are  always  found  together.  Where 
the  priests  wield  the  influence,  the  masses  are  in  igno- 
rance.    Where  is  an  exception  ? 

Naples  is  a  wicked  city.  We  collected  statistics  in 
proof  of  this,  but  we  can  not  here  state  them.  But  the 
evidences  of  this  wickedness  you  meet  every  where.  So 
numerous  are  crosses,  Virgins,  pictures  of  Christ,  light- 
ed candles,  and  other  papal  emblems,  and  so  much  ex- 
ternal reverence  is  paid  to  these  things,  that  a  stranger 
might  infer  there  is  much  piety  there.  But  when  you 
see  men  bowing  to  the  Virgin,  and  swearing  at  the 
same  time — gambling  under  a  picture  of  Christ  in  ag- 
ony on  the  cross — drinking,  dancing,  and  carousing  in 
the  presence  of  a  box  with  a  glass  door  containing  an 
image  of  Mary  and  Bambino,  with  a  candle  burning  be- 
fore it — when  you  see  priests  in  shovel  hats,  and  monks 
with  ropes  around  their  loins,  playing  cards  in  the  open 
streets,  what  further  evidence  do  you  need  of  a  wicked 
and  corrupt  city  ?  If  the  pious  and  the  priests  do  so, 
what  must  be  the  conduct  of  the  sinful  and  the  com- 
mon people  ?  And  the  true  state  of  the  case  is  such  as 
to  sustain  any  inference  we  may  draw.  Where  the 
priests  wield  the  influence,  the  masses  of  the  people  are 
wicked.     Where  is  an  exception  ? 

Of  the  gross  superstition  of  Naples,  what  can  we  say? 


118  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Gross  superstition.  A  cheat.  Despotism. 

You  see  the  proof  of  it  every  where.  You  see  it  in  the 
processions  of  the  Host  to  the  chambers  of  the  dying — 
in  their  general  processions — in  the  multiplication  of 
emblems  of  worship — in  the  miserable  miraculous  jug- 
gle as  to  the  blood  of  St.  Januarius,  a  cheat  practiced  by 
the  priests  on  the  people  three  or  four  times  a  year  !  I 
was  in  the  cathedral  church  of  this  saint  on  "  St.  John's 
day,"  which  is  a  high  day  in  Italy.  There  was  high 
mass  going  on  at  the  altar,  at  which  three  cardinals  were 
serving.  A  servitor  handed  his  censer  to  another,  and, 
stepping  down  from  the  altar,  offered  his  services.  We 
went  to  the  tomb  of  the  saint  under  the  altar — to  the 
little  chapel  where  the  blood  liquefies — and  as  the  man 
in  livery  explained  all  with  an  air  more  of  increduli- 
ty than  of  belief,  I  could  not  help  muttering  shame ! 
shame  !  If  priests  in  America  will  strive  to  explain  the 
sentence  of  the  Madiai  in  Tuscany  so  as  to  turn  away 
its  sharp  point  from  Popery  and  its  priests,  what  explan- 
ation will  they  attempt  of  the  cheat  as  to  the  blood  of 
St.  Januarius  ?  If  they  say  it  is  a  true  miracle,  the 
country  will  be  in  a  broad  laugh ;  if  they  admit  it  to 
be  what  it  is,  a  most  gross  imposition,  what  follows  ? 
Priests  and  gross  superstition  go  together.  Where  is 
an  exception  ?  Surely  not  where  they  have  all  things 
to  their  liking. 

Naples  is  most  despotically  governed.  The  king  is 
a  despot,  and  the  priests  are  his  tools  and  his  spies. 
The  prisons  are  filled  with  prisoners,  among  whom  are 
the  noblest  and  truest  men  of  the  country.  The  old 
Bourbon  "  lettres  de  cachet,"  in  all  their  terrible  and 
concealed  despotism,  are  revived  ;  and,  without  charge, 
trial,  or  notice,  the  very  salt  of  the  people  are  torn  from 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  119 

Gladstone's  letters.  Catechisms.  The  model  kingdom. 

their  families  and  confined  in  the  most  noisome  and 
deadly  dungeons.  The  awful  revelations  of  Gladstone 
in  his  "  Two  Letters  to  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen"  will  not 
soon  be  forgotten  by  the  world.  The  present  fearful 
despot  granted  a  Constitution,  then  revoked  it,  and  then 
cast  into  prison  and  into  felons'  graves  the  persons  that 
formed  it,  and  sustained  it  by  his  command.  Cardinals 
and  bishops  have  written  political  catechisms,  and  they 
are  taught  by  the  priests  in  the  schools  of  the  kingdom 
of  the  Two  Sicilies,  which  teach  that  all  liberally-mind- 
ed persons  are  eternally  lost ;  that  the  people  can  es- 
tablish no  fundamental  laws,  as  all  such  laws  must 
flow  from  the  sovereign  ;  that  the  people,  who  are  made 
for  submission,  can  impose  no  laws  upon  a  sovereign ; 
that  a  sovereign  is  not  bound  to  keep  his  oath  when  he 
thinks  it  good  to  violate  it ;  and  that  the  Pope  can  ab- 
solve, when  necessary,  from  the  obligation  of  an  oath, 
and  from  the  crime  of  violating  it.  With  a  catechism 
like  this,  written  by  cardinals  and  bishops,  taught  by 
the  priest  in  all  the  schools,  and  fully  believed  by  a 
Bourbon  prince,  we  leave  it  to  our  readers  to  infer  what 
must  be  the  freedom  enjoyed,  or  the  despotism  felt,  by 
the  people  of  Naples.  Priests  and  despotism  go  to- 
gether. 

And  yet,  in  the  view  of  the  Pope  and  his  priests, 
the  King  of  Naples  is  the  model  king,  and  his  kingdom 
the  model  kingdom  of  the  world.  He  is  the  monarch 
of  the  earth  whom  Pio  Nono  most  delights  to  honor. 
Nor  is  there  a  model  after  which  the  Pope  and  his 
priests  would  more  gladly  mould  our  own  happy  Re- 
public, were  it  in  their  power,  than  the  kingdom  of 
Naples.     The  apologists  for  the  Duke  of  Tuscany  in 


12Q  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Blessings  in  expectation. 

the  case  of  the  Madiai  should  be  the  advocates  of  Fer- 
dinand. 

0  the  blessings,  civil,  social,  and  religious,  in  reserve 
for  our  country,  when  priests  are  in  power  here  as  they 
are  in  Naples  ! 


AS     SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  121 

Fast  and  feast  days.  An  illumination.  San  Carlos. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

The  Effect  of  a  Feast-day. — San  Carlos. — Mixture. — Capua. — Gaeta : 
its  Sights.— The  Three  Taverns.— First  Sight  of  Rome.— Italy,  from 
Naples  to  Rome. — The  Face  of  the  Country. — The  People. — Wom- 
an degraded. — Emblems  of  Superstition  every  where. — Mass  in  a 
Village.  —  Light  at  Gaeta.  —  Contrast. — Glorious  Associations. — 
Door  of  Hope. 

By  the  recurrence  of  a  feast-day,  which  was  succeed- 
ed by  the  birth-day  of  the  tyrannical  king,  we  were  de- 
tained in  Naples  longer  than  was  comfortable.  A  feast 
or  fast  day  down  here  stops  all  steamers  and  stages, 
and  nearly  all  business  ;  even  on  the  wheels  of  govern- 
ment they  put  a  brake — not  so  as  to  the  Sabbath-day. 
Man's  days  are  sacred ;  the  Lord's  day  is  disregarded. 
This  is  the  action  of  Popery  every  where.  On  the  birth- 
day of  the  king,  the  theatre  of  San  Carlos  was  opened, 
and  the  church  opposite  to  it  on  the  square  was  brill- 
iantly illuminated.  The  cross  by  which  it  is  sur- 
mounted was  in  a  blaze  of  light.  Thus  Popery  mixes 
and  mingles  the  feast,  the  theatre,  the  Church — things 
the  most  opposite — in  the  same  dish,  always  paying  a 
preponderating  respect  to  the  earthly  element.  I  stood 
for  some  time,  in  the  twilight  of  the  evening,  near  the 
door  of  the  San  Carlos,  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  royalty 
and  to  see  the  fashion  of  the  city.  But  the  royal  fam- 
ily was  afraid  to  risk  itself  amid  the  gatherings  of  a 
theatre,  and  the  great  majority  of  the  men  I  saw  enter 
were  priests  and  soldiers.     The  men  in  shovel-hats 

F 


122  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Leaving  Naples.  Capua.  Gaeta.  Sights. 

looked  as  if  they  cared  much  for  the  things  of  this  life, 
and  not  much  for  the  things  of  the  life  which  is  to 
come. 

When  the  feast  and  natal  day  were  over,  and  con- 
veyances were  permitted  again  to  move,  we  left  Naples 
amid  a  crowd  of  hoys,  priests,  and  heggars.     We  soon 
entered  the  country,  which  is  finely  cultivated.     Soon 
we  thundered  through  the  gates  of  Capua,  where  Han- 
nibal took  up  his  residence  after  his  great  victory  at 
Cannse,  and  amid  dirty  lanes  and  all  kinds  of  noises, 
drew  up  before  the  Hotel  de  Yille.     It  was  any  thing 
but  attractive.     Who  would  ever  think  of  Hannibal  in 
connection  with  such  a  place !     Thence  we  passed  along 
the  valley  of  the  Yoltorno — magnificently  cultivated 
and  wonderfully  productive — to  Graeta,  rendered  some- 
what noted  by  the  hegira  of  his  Holiness  a  few  years 
since.     This  place  received  its  name  from  its  being  the 
burial-place  of  the  nurse  of  iEneas,  according  to  Virgil, 
and  in  its  immediate  vicinity  Cicero  was  put  to  death 
by  order  of  Antony.     The  Mola  di  Graeta  is  beautifully 
situated  on  the  sea,  as  is  also  the  town,  from  which  it 
is  separated  by  a  valley.     But  the  town  itself  is  in  the 
broadest  contrast  with  its  magnificent  situation.     Its 
streets  are  very  narrow,  very  dirty,  and  the  hotel  in 
which  we  dined  was  in  every  respect  like  them.     The 
women  wore  a  most  peculiar  dress,  and  the  shorts  of 
the  men  reached  almost  half  way  to  their  knees.     The 
women  sat  in  groups  in  the  doors  and  under  the  shade 
of  the  walls,  nursing  their  children,  and  picking  each 
other's  heads.     The  oranges  were  falling  from  the  trees 
as  we  rode  along,  and  as  we  knew  that  they  were  clean 
when  skinned,  we  ate  many  of  them.     Thence  we  pass- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  123 

Three  Taverns.  La  Rome.  Face  of  Italy. 

ed  to  Terracina,  on  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Pon- 
tine Marshes,  on  the  Appian  Way,  and  where  once  stood, 
proudly  and  beautifully,  the  palace  of  Gralba.  After 
crossing  the  marshes,  we  spent  an  hour  or  more  at  a 
miserable  village,  the  Three  Taverns,  rendered  famous 
by  the  visit  of  Paul.  Thence  we  passed  through  a 
beautiful  and  often  broken  country  until  we  reached  the 
heights  of  Frescati,  when  Rome,  reposing  at  the  bottom 
of  the  immense  basin  which  here  opens  upon  you,  pre- 
sented itself  to  view.  "Voici  la  Rome!"  exclaimed 
our  French  companions.  Soon  we  appeared  before  the 
gate  Porta  Giovanni.  After  due  search  and  inquiry, 
we  entered  the  Eternal  City ;  guarded  by  an  officer, 
we  were  conducted  to  the  place  of  customs,  and  after 
a  thorough  search  for  articles  contraband  and  heretical, 
we  were  permitted  to  file  off,  each  to  the  hotel  of  his 
choice.  Very  soon  I  found  quiet  quarters,  after  a  most 
dusty  and  fatiguing  ride,  in  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre.  I 
was  now  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city  of  Rome  ! 

This  ride  from  Naples  to  the  Tiber,  though  tiresome, 
occupying  nearly  two  days  and  a  night,  is  a  very  fine 
one.  It  gives  you  new  views  of  Italy,  which  is  much 
broken,  very  fertile,  presenting  beautiful  sights,  and 
crowded  with  a  most  stupid  and  debased-looking  peas- 
antry. In  fertility  it  seemed  to  surpass  England  or 
France,  and  you  meet  every  where  with  groves  of  or- 
anges and  lemons.  The  fig  and  the  prune  abound,  and 
the  vine  trained  from  tree  to  tree,  and  so  trimmed  as 
not  to  exclude  the  sun  from  the  culture  beneath,  form- 
ing a  sort  of  net- work  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  high,  gives  a 
fairy  aspect  to  the  scenery.  Looking  simply  at  its  sur- 
face, fertility,  and  climate,  Italy  is  a  splendid  country. 


124  MEN     AND    THINGS 

The  people.  Popish  emblems.  No  religion. 

But  the  people  seem  remarkably  poor  and  debased. 
Women  are  seen  working  with  men  in  the  fields,  and 
at  all  kinds  of  labor,  without  covering  on  head  or  foot, 
and  often  not  decently  clad.  We  met  them  often  rid- 
ing asses  as  do  men,  and  merrily  singing  with  them  as 
they  were  returning  from  the  fields  to  their  villages  in 
the  evening.  The  villages  wear  a  very  faded  appear- 
ance, and  beggars  every  where  assail  you.  The  coun- 
try is  beautiful,  the  air  is  balmy,  the  sky  is  clear  as 
glass ;  but  you  exclaim  with  amazement  as  you  gaze 
upon  the  people,  Are  these  the  descendants  of  the  Ro- 
mans, whose  eagles  flapped  their  wings  in  the  triumphs 
of  victory  at  the  extremes  of  the  world  ? 

And  the  emblems  of  Popery  meet  you  every  where. 
The  pictures  of  Mary  you  see  in  the  shops  of  the  butch- 
er, the  baker,  the  shoemaker,  and  in  the  gin-shop,  over 
the  bottles  of  wine  and  brandy.  Little  alcoves  are 
made  for  them  in  the  walls  by  the  highways,  where 
they  are  often  placed  with  candles  burning  before  them. 
The  cross  you  see  every  where — in  houses,  and  on,  them 
— by  the  way-side,  and  in  the  fields — on  the  tops  of 
hay-ricks  and  stacks  of  grain.  And  yet  there  is  no 
scriptural  religion  among  the  people.  On  the  Sabbath 
morning  we  visited  a  church  in  one  of  the  interior  vil- 
lages ;  a  very  few  people  were  attending  mass,  perform- 
ed by  a  most  clumsy  old  priest,  while  a  crowded  mar- 
ket was  going  on  in  the  public  square,  where  were 
priests  in  dozens,  and  some  of  them  laughing  merrily 
at  the  tricks  of  the  mountebanks  !  So  little  are  people 
affected  by  these  emblems,  multiplied  until  they  become 
offensive,  that  we  have  seen  a  man  at  the  same  time 
bowing  to  the  Virgin  and  swearing  at  his  ass !    In  pass- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  125 

Amende  honorable.  True  succession.  Impressions  of  a  stranger. 

ing  through  Graeta,  a  woman,  spinning  flax  after  the 
fashion  of  the  place,  to  save  herself  in  a  narrow  street, 
turned  into  an  alcove  in  the  wall  in  which  was  an  im- 
age of  the  Virgin,  which  she  struck  with  her  flax-stick : 
she  quickly  turned  round,  and,  crossing  herself,  dropped 
a  courtesy.  She  evidently  made  the  amende  honora- 
ble by  asking  her  pardon  !  There  is  no  more  religion 
in  Italy  than  when  Paganism  held  dominion  there ; 
and  there  is  no  more,  and  probably  no  less  homage  to 
the  external  symbols  of  religion  than  when  the  people 
worshiped  the  lares  and  penates.  There  is  no  way 
of  addressing  an  ignorant  and  brutalized  people  but 
through  the  senses.  And  as  Popery  brutalizes  the  peo- 
ple, it  multiplies  the  objects  of  sense.  Thus  did  Pagan- 
ism, and  Popery  faithfully  writes  after  its  copy.  This 
is  its  true  succession. 

The  American  riding  through  Italy  is  constantly  re- 
minded that  he  is  in  a  strange  land.  Convents  are  seen 
on  the  tops  of  the  very  highest  hills,  and  you  are  left 
to  imagine  how  they  are  accessible.  Nor  can  you  con- 
jecture the  reason  why  they  are  so  located.  Villages 
are  very  generally  built  on  the  slopes  of  hills,  and  in 
positions  where  they  could  with  ease  be  very  strongly 
fortified  and  easily  defended.  No  houses  are  scattered 
over  the  country,  as  with  us — the  people,  like  sheep,  go 
out  over  the  fields  by  day,  and  return  to  the  same  fold 
in  the  evening.  When  you  stop  at  a  village  to  change 
horses  or  to  take  a  meal,  the  first  and  last  persons  you 
generally  see  are  priests  and  beggars ;  and,  while  equal- 
ly idle,  they  differ  widely  in  appearance.  The  priests 
are  round,  sleek,  and  well-dressed — some  of  them  as  fat 
as  Eglon.     The  common  people  look  as  one  might  sup- 


126  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Slavish  looks.  Associations.  The  door  of  hope. 

pose  the  Hebrews  looked  in  Egypt,  when,  under  the 
cruel  tyranny  of  the  Pharaohs,  they  were  obliged  to 
make  brick  without  straw ! 

And  yet  you  feel  that  you  are  treading  a  soil  of  hal- 
lowed association,  whose  every  road,  hill,  village,  river, 
mountain,  bay,  has  its  stirring  history.  In  this  town 
Hannibal  lived.  In  this  narrow  pass  he  was  checked 
by  Fabius.  Here  Cicero  lived.  There  he  was  killed 
by  the  paid  assassins  of  Antony,  who  cut  off  his  head 
and  hands,  and  sent  them  to  Rome.  Along  this  road 
marched  the  legions  of  Rome  to  the  conquest  of  the  na- 
tions, and  on  it  they  marched  back  again  to  the  Cap- 
itol, leading  kings  captive,  with  their  victorious  ban- 
ners floating  over  them.  In  this  valley  was  a  death- 
struggle  with  Goths  and  Vandals.  On  that  promonto- 
ry Paul  landed.  Here  he  met  the  brethren  from  Rome, 
and  rejoiced  with  them.  Thus  every  thing  has  its  his- 
tory, and  during  every  step  of  your  progress  you  are 
dreaming  of  the  past  and  sighing  over  the  present ! 
Paganism  ennobled,  Popery  has  degraded  Italy.  There 
is  no  hope  for  it  but  in  the  removal  of  the  priestly  tyr- 
anny that  has  ground  it  to  powder.  Let  Italy  ex- 
change the  missal  for  the  Bible,  the  priest  for  the  true 
minister,  the  authority  of  the  Pope  for  that  of  Grod, 
and  it  may  be  again  among  the  nations  what  it  has 
been.     This  is  its  only  door  of  hope. 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  127 

Rome.  First  sight.  Tower  of  the  Capitoline. 


CHAPTER   XXL 

Dreams  realized. — Rome  from  the  Tower  of  the  Capitoline. — The 
Tiber. — The  Seven  Hills. — The  Magnificent  vanishes. — The  Ruins. 
— Bathos. — The  Corso :  its  Appearance. — Afternoon  Walk. — Rome 
in  June. — A  Cause  for  Thankfulness. 

I  am  now  in  Rome,  of  which  I  have  dreamed,  read, 
and  thought  from  youth  up,  and  in  reference  to  which 
I  have  always  entertained  the  hope  that  I  should  see 
it  before  I  should  die.  My  dreams  and  hopes  are  all 
fully  realized.  I  am  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city  of 
the  Caesars ! 

As  a  thirsty  traveler  rushes  to  a  water-brook,  bends 
down  to  the  stream,  and  slakes  his  thirst  at  the  first 
draught,  so  we  determined  to  fill  our  minds  and  hearts 
with  Rome  by  a  first  sight.  For  this  purpose  we  as- 
cended the  Capitoline  Hill,  passed,  with  a  bare  recog- 
nition, the  colossal  statues  of  Castor  and  Pollux,  and 
the  magnificent  equestrian  statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius, 
and  clambered  up  to  the  Tower  of  the  Capitoline.  "We 
felt  disposed  to  turn  away  from  the  views  presented  at 
the  various  angles  of  ascent,  until  the  eye,  without  ob- 
struction, could  sweep  the  entire  panorama.  We  gained 
the  highest  point,  and  Rome  lay  at  our  feet !  The  city 
of  the  Caesars,  all  in  ruins,  lay  on  one  side  of  the  hill ; 
the  city  of  the  Popes,  with  its  palaces  and  churches,  on 
the  other.  Beyond  the  walls,  deserted  and  death-like, 
lay  the  Campagna,  an  irregular  plain,  which  of  old  con- 
tained parts  of  Latium  and  Etruria,  while  the  horizon 


128  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Rome  at  our  feet.  The  Tiber.  The  Seven  Hills. 

was  bounded  by  the  blue  line  of  the  ocean,  Soracte,  the 
Sabine,  and  Yolscian  hills.  Hope  was  lost  in  fruition ; 
the  poetry  of  our  feelings  passed  away  like  foam  upon 
the  waters,  and  there  lay  Rome  in  its  ruins,  its  splen- 
dor, and  its  prose,  before  us.  And,  at  the  risk  of  being 
charged  with  a  want  of  taste,  a  want  of  reverence,  a 
want  of  historic  appreciation,  and  perhaps  many  other 
wants,  I  will  give  my  own  views  of  men  and  things  as 
I  saw  them  in  Rome. 

Looking  out  from  the  tower  of  the  Capitol,  the  Tiber 
flows  beneath  you,  dividing  the  city  into  two  equal 
parts.  It  is  a  narrow,  muddy,  winding  stream,  spanned 
by  four  or  five  bridges — on  which  not  a  mast  is  seen, 
nor  a  boat  plying,  nor  a  sign  of  life,  save  a  machine  for 
catching  fish,  which,  turned  by  the  current,  is  evermore 
lazily  tossing  its  arms  in  the  air !  You  are  struck  with 
its  utter  meanness,  and  exclaim,  "Is  that  the  Tiber ?" 

You  ask  your  valet,  after  running  your  eye  around 
in  vain  search  for  them,  "Where  are  the  Seven  Hills?" 
And  he  points  you  to  little  swellings  here  and  there 
within  the  walls,  saying,  "  That  is  the  Aventine,  and 
that  is  the  Palatine,  and  that  is  the  Ccelian,  and  that 
is  the  Esquiline,  and  that  is  the  Quirinal,  and  that  is 
the  Yiminal,  and  this  upon  which  you  are  standing  is 
the  Capitoline."  And  there  they  lie,  all  within  a  cir- 
cumference far  too  narrow  to  bound  the  plantation  of 
even  a  moderate  Western  farmer  !  And  when  it  is  re- 
membered that  cities  were  built  upon  those  hills — that 
nations  contended  in  the  valleys  that  separate  them — 
that  in  these  valleys,  over  which  an  Indian  would  shoot 
his  arrow,  the  Etruscans,  the  Sabines,  the  Latins  con- 
tended for  empire,  how  the  magnificent  takes  its  depart- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  129 

Poetry  gone.  Ruins.  Coliseum.  A  wilderness. 

ure  from  all  the  views  we  were  led  to  entertain  in  our 
youthful  days  as  to  the  origin  of  Rome  and  the  Ro- 
mans !  Indeed,  while  straining  our  eyes  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  finger  of  our  valet  pointing  out  this  hill  and 
that,  we  made  the  remark  that,  were  it  not  for  his  kind 
aid,  we  could  not  have  found  out  the  seven  hills  even 
with  a  search-warrant.  And  soon  the  poetry  of  "  the 
seven  hills"  was  all  gone  ! 

And  there  beneath  us  are  the  ruins  of  the  Roman 
Forum,  consisting  of  falling  pillars,  tottering  walls,  and 
rubbish  in  piles,  giving  obvious  indications  of  former 
magnificence,  strength,  and  extent.  And  at  a  little 
farther  remove  are  the  ruins  of  the  Coliseum,  grand, 
historic,  and  suggestive  of  scenes  and  events  from 
which  the  mind  and  heart  recoil.  And,  as  we  subse- 
quently wandered  amid  its  arches,  and  around  and  over 
its  walls  and  seats,  we  could  recall  the  day  when  the 
holy  Ignatius  was  turned  into  the  area — when  that 
area  was  crowded  with  matrons,  virgins,  confessors, 
and  when  wild  lions,  tigers,  leopards  were  let  loose 
upon  them,  and,  amid  the  plaudits  of  some  eighty  thou- 
sand spectators,  tore  them  to  pieces  !  And  in  full  view, 
scattered  over  the  Esquiline  and  Palatine  Hills,  and 
the  space  between  them,  are  the  column  of  Trajan, 
the  arch  of  Titus,  the  palace  of  the  Caesars,  the  baths 
of  Titus,  the  arch  of  Constantine,  and  the  ruins  of  tem- 
ples, mutely  eloquent  as  to  the  past  and  present.  The 
columns  and  arches  are  noble — the  Coliseum  is  mag- 
nificent, worth  going  to  Rome  to  see — but,  in  the  main, 
the  ruins  have  nothing  save  historic  interest ;  and  you 
are  soon  lost  in  a  wilderness  of  foundations  and  dilap- 
idating walls.  And  when  we  saw  brawny  Italians 
F2 


130  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Bathos.  The  Corso.  Walk  in  the  afternoon. 

stuffing  the  palace  of  the  Caesars  with  hay  to  feed  the 
horses  of  the  French — and  swarthy  women  hoeing  po- 
tatoes and  cabbage  upon  the  top  of  it — and  the  Forum 
changed  into  a  cow  market — and  other  things  after  the 
same  fashion,  the  reader  may  judge  how  suddenly  we 
fell  from  the  poetic  region  in  which  we  had  so  long  rev- 
eled, into  the  prosaic  bathos  of  roofless  walls,  crumbling 
arches,  and  piles  of  brick  ! 

And  there,  too,  is  the  famous  Corso,  right  under  your 
eye,  and  running  straight  as  an  arrow  from  the  base  of 
the  Capitoline  to  the  Piazza  del  Popolo  and  the  Fla- 
minian  Grate !  This  is  the  great  street  of  Rome,  said 
in  the  guide  books  to  have  been  adorned  by  at  least 
three  popes !  And  as  it  derives  its  name  from  horse- 
races which  were  introduced  there  by  the  pious  pope 
Paul  II.,  every  stranger  would  expect  to  find  it  a  wide 
street,  adorned  with  trees,  and  crowded  with  palaces ! 
But  not  a  tree  is  to  be  seen  there.  It  is  as  narrow  as 
John  Street  in  New  York.  The  sidewalks  are  too  nar- 
row for  two  persons  to  walk  arm-in-arm.  The  houses 
are  very  high  and  very  irregular ;  and  the  palaces,  as 
they  are  called,  because  of  the  heavy  iron  gratings  of 
the  windows,  look  more  like  prisons  than  places  of  pri- 
vate and  aristocratic  residence.  The  middle  of  the 
street  is  the  great  promenade ;  and  it  is  quite  peculiar 
to  see  in  the  afternoon  a  dense  crowd  in  the  street, 
dodging  in  every  direction  to  save  themselves  from  the 
carriages  which  are  slowly  winding  their  way  along,  as 
if  to  expose  the  jewelry  and  gorgeous  attire  of  their  oc- 
cupants to  the  view  of  the  pilgrims  to  the  city  of  the 
Caesars.  0,  if  the  races  of  Paul  II.,  of  blessed  memory, 
could  only  be  renewed  there  on  a  fair  afternoon  in  April, 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  131 

Is  this  the  Corso  1  Rome  a  deserted  city. 

what  a  scene  would  be  witnessed  in  the  famous  Cor- 
so !  And  as,  with  my  friend  in  travel,  we  first  walked 
down  this  street  to  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  where  stands 
the  obelisk  of  Rhamses,  which  once  stood  in  Heliopo- 
lis  as  a  decoration  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  the  ques- 
tion was  often  smilingly  asked  of  one  another,  "  Is  this 
the  famous  Corso  ?"  When  this  is  the  Broadway  and 
the  Fifth  Avenue  of  Rome,  it  requires  no  very  vivid 
imagination  to  conjecture  what  the  city,  as  a  whole, 
must  be  !  We  were  as  much  disappointed  at  the  Cor- 
so as  we  were  at  the  "  Yellow  Tiber,"  or  at  seeing 
cabbages  growing  on  the  top  of  the  Palace  of  the  Em- 
perors ! 

There  is,  no  doubt,  more  life  here  during  the  win- 
ter, and  at  the  season  when  the  fasts  and  feasts  of  the 
Church  call  strangers  together  to  witness  the  buffoon- 
ery of  the  Carnival,  and  the  dramatic  performances  of 
Holy  Week,  when  pope,  cardinals,  prelates,  and  priests 
are  the  actors  ;  but,  during  the  days  of  our  sojourn,  it 
seemed  like  a  deserted  city.  •  Those  days  were  in  early 
June,  when  the  strangers  had  mostly  returned  north, 
and  when  'but  few,  save  the  citizens,  remained.  But 
few  were  seen  at  the  various  points  of  interest.  There 
were  no  houses  building — no  new  streets  opening — no 
ships  or  steamers  on  the  river — no  manufactures — no 
railway  cars  whistling  along.  The  shops  were  all 
small,  and  mostly  for  the  sale  of  pictures,  cameos,  in- 
taglios, and  mosaics ;  and  but  few  to  purchase.  For  a 
short  while  in  the  afternoon  the  Corso  was  crowded  ; 
but  until  then,  and  afterward,  it  seemed  like  a  city 
deserted.  French  soldiers  were  there — their  drums 
were  beating  at  all  hours  in  some  direction ;  priests 


132  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Lonely  feeling.  Cause  of  thankfulness. 

were  there  in  any  number,  and  tripping  along  with  a 
most  self-satisfied  air  at  all  hours ;  and  beggars,  that 
always  follow  priests,  as  does  the  shadow  its  shade, 
were  to  be  met  every  where.  But  yet  the  city  seemed 
deserted.  I  felt,  in  kind,  the  feeling  of  loneliness  which 
oppressed  me  in  going  through  the  streets  of  Pompeii. 
It  would  seem  as  if  some  dreadful  miasma  was  hang- 
ing over  it,  from  which  as  many  as  could  had  fled,  and 
of  which  those  who  could  not  flee  lived  in  constant 
terror.  I  thanked  God  a  thousand  times  that  I  was 
neither  a  Roman  nor  a  papist.  And  these  are  mercies 
for  which  I  have  to  thank  him  daily. 

But  I  am  not  yet  done  with  Rome.     "  Thus  endeth 
the  first  lesson." 


A8    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  133 

Object  stated.  Foul  arts.  St.  Peter's. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Object  stated. — Saint  Peter's. — From  Top  to  Bottom. — Chat  in  the 
Basement. — Its  Grandeur  and  Amplitude. — Statue  of  St.  Peter. — 
Its  Worship  disgusting. — Mass  there. — A  disappointed  Confessor. 
— The  Scene  of  the  Rod. — The  Sublime  and  Ridiculous. — The 
Confessional,  or  Tomb  of  St.  Peter. — Poor  Ives's  Emblems  of  Office. 
—The  Wafer  Taken.— A  Farce. 

As  the  great  object  of  my  visit  to  Rome  was  to  see 
for  myself  the  workings  of  Popery  at  the  very  centre 
of  the  system,  and  under  the  eye  of  its  infallible  head, 
I  sought  to  render  every  hour  of  my  time,  and  all 
my  researches,  subservient  to  my  one  object.  My 
readers  will  give  me  credit,  at  least,  for  honesty,  when 
I  frankly  own  that  I  was  as  much  interested  to  discover 
the  foul  arts  of  the  priests,  as  I  was  to  look  upon  those 
immortal  productions  of  the  fine  arts,  which,  together 
with  its  ruins,  now  form  the  only  attractions  of  Rome, 
whose  power  was  once  supreme  in  the  world. 

Of  course  we  went  to  St.  Peter's,  the  noblest  edifice 
of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  as  we  gained  the  point 
where  we  had  a  first  view  of  its  towering  front,  sur- 
mounted by  the  apostles — of  its  semicircular  colonnades 
adorned  with  nearly  two  hundred  statues — of  the  ma- 
jestic pillar,  sent  to  Rome  by  Caligula,  that  rises  in  the 
centre  of  the  piazza — of  the  fountains  which  send  up 
their  snow-white  foam,  we  stood  and  gazed  in  mute  won- 
der !  Until  now,  my  disappointment  almost  reached  the 
point  of  dejection,  but  now  my  expectations  rose  to  the 


134  MEN    AND    THINGS 


The  magnificent.  A  picture.  Wealth  of  art. 

point  of  astonishment.  We  entered.  Our  astonishment 
rose  as  we  went  around  the  magnificent  interior.  And 
as  we  gazed  upon  the  splendid  nave — the  gigantic  pil- 
lars— the  stupendous  dome  that  swells  up  nearly  five 
hundred  feet,  arrayed  in  beauty  to  the  very  apex — the 
wonderful  creations  of  art  that  meet  the  eye  at  every 
point,  we  felt  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  the  beauti- 
ful and  the  magnificent !  We  clambered  up  to  the 
top  and  looked  again  over  the  city,  and  feasted  our 
eyes  upon  every  thing  that  could  be  seen  from  that 
elevated  position.  We  descended  to  the  apartments 
beneath  the  building,  where,  by  the  aid  of  torches,  we 
examined  little  gems  of  chapels  and  altars,  and  beau- 
tiful statuary  and  painting.  Down  in  those  dark 
chambers  we  were  shown  a  picture  of  the  Judgment, 
with  robbers,  murderers,  and  bad  women  on  the  left, 
and  a  great  array  of  popes  and  cardinals  on  the  right. 
"  Why,"  said  one  of  the  company,  to  the  guide,  "  why 
not  put  others  on  the  right  as  well  as  popes  and  car- 
dinals ?"  "  0,"  said  he,  with  a  shrug,  "  the  painter 
was  paid  by  the  Pope  to  paint  it,  and  he  must  put 
them  there  ;  he  was  paid  for  doing  it."  Although  he 
had  a  shaven  crown,  and  was  an  official  of  the  Church, 
he  evidently  intimated  that  some  on  the  right  hand 
might,  in  truth,  have  been  placed  on  the  left. 

Regarded  in  whatever  point  of  view,  save  as  a  house 
for  the  true  worship  of  God,  St.  Peter's  is  a  magnificent 
building.  You  are  lost  in  its  amplitude,  which  is  suf- 
ficient to  give  room  to  fifty  thousand  persons,  and  you 
are  amazed  at  its  wealth  of  architecture,  statuary,  and 
painting,  at  which  you  gaze  and  wonder,  until  your 
sensations  of  pleasure  become  oppressive.     I  visited  it 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  135 

Last  view.  Statue  of  St.  Peter.  Sights. 

often,  and  always  with  increasing  admiration  of  its 
grandeur,  proportions,  and  magnificence ;  and  as  I 
stood  taking  my  last  view  of  it,  at  the  point  where  I 
took  my  first,  a  feeling  of  sadness  came  over  me  at  the 
reflection  that  I  should  never  see  it  again.  I  had  seen 
other  cathedrals  before,  St.  Paul's,  "Westminster,  Notre 
Dame,  and  have  seen  others  since,  including  those  of 
Turin,  Strasburg,  and  Cologne,  but  in  comparison  with 
St.  Peter's,  they  are  as  the  G-rampians  to  the  Alps,  or 
as  the  Falls  of  the  Clyde  to  Niagara. 

And  yet,  as  a  house  of  Christian  worship,  how  ut- 
terly offensive  to  a  Protestant !  There,  conspicuously 
poised,  where  all  eyes  may  behold  it,  in  the  great  nave, 
and  near  the  high  altar,  is  the  bronze  statue  of  St. 
Peter.  It  is  a  sitting  figure,  resting  on  a  marble  ped- 
estal, with  an  impulsive,  stern  expression  ;  the  right 
hand  raised  as  if  in  the  act  of  blessing,  and  holding 
two  ponderous  keys  in  its  left.  Save  the  head  and 
hands,  this  is  the  old  Jupiter  Tonans,  with  thunder- 
bolts exchanged  for  keys.  It  is  a  very  uncouth  affair, 
and  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  perfection  of  beauty 
by  which  it  is  surrounded.  If  the  thunder-bolts  had 
only  been  retained,  it  would  be  a  good  representation 
of  Popery — black,  ugly,  fierce  in  aspect,  with  keys  to 
lock  up  all  heretics,  and  bolts  to  strike  opponents  dead  ! 
And  to  see  old  women  and  silly  girls,  soldiers  gilded 
and  plumed,  peasants  from  the  Campagna,  ladies  with 
liveried  servants,  and  now  and  then,  "  few  and  far  be- 
tween," an  ecclesiastic,  bowing  to  this  ugly  man  in 
bronze,  wiping  off  the  kiss  of  the  last  worshiper,  and 
then  imprinting  one  of  their  own  on  its  toe,  and  rub- 
bing that  toe  with  their  foreheads — if  all  this  is  not 


136  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Deep  ingratitude.  Funny  boys.  Confession. 

disgusting,  I  should  like  to  know  what  is.  0,  if  Peter 
himself  were  only  there,  how  he  would  spurn  such  silly 
idolaters  from  his  presence  !  And  while  gazing  upon 
the  scene,  I  was  informed  that,  when  last  in  Rome  in 
fiery  pursuit  of  a  pair  of  red  stockings,  the  venerable, 
pious,  retiring,  bashful  John  of  New  York  prostrated 
himself  most  profoundly  before  this  image  !  And  yet 
he  was  refused  the  red  stockings  !  What  ingratitude 
for  such  pious  humiliation  ! 

And  there,  too,  on  all  sides,  are  altars  and  confes- 
sion-boxes, where  masses  are  muttered,  where  sins  are 
confessed  and  forgiven,  for  a  compensation.  At  some 
of  these  altars  I  saw  masses  in  progress,  without  a  per- 
son to  witness  them  save  the  boys  in  waiting  ;  and 
when  the  priest  was  reading  from  the  mass-book,  these 
boys  were  often  playing  pranks  behind  his  back !  Even 
in  St.  Peter's,  the  mass  is  falling  into  the  contempt 
which  it  merits.  Even  before  the  altar,  boys  are  mak- 
ing fun  of  the  priest ! 

And  it  was  pleasant  to  see  fat-looking  priests  sitting 
in  their  confession-boxes,  anxiously  waiting  for  cus- 
tomers, and  without  finding  any  !  I  was  struck  with 
the  face  of  one  of  these  fathers,  and  walked  several 
times  in  front  of  his  box  for  the  purpose  of  reading  it ; 
but  it  was  too  darkly  shaded  to  be  legible.  I  thought 
he  looked  at  me  as  if  he  had  caught  a  fat  customer, 
but  he  was  mistaken.  A  poor  woman  came  along 
and  dropped  on  her  knees  by  the  side  of  his  box.  She 
looked  as  if  she  needed  both  forgiveness  and  alms. 
While  whispering  into  his  left  ear,  another  woman  came 
along,  and  stood  at  a  respectable  distance  before  the  box. 
She  dropped  courtesies  until  she  attracted  the  notice 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  137 

Long  rod.  Little  sins.  The  confessional. 

of  the  knight  of  the  box.  She  then  fell  on  her  knees, 
and  soon  a  long  rod  like  unto  a  fishing-rod  was  slowly- 
extended  from  the  box,  and  thrice  laid  upon  her  head. 
She  then  crossed  herself,  rose  from  her  knees,  and  went 
smiling  away.  "  And  what,"  said  I  to  our  valet,  "is 
the  meaning  of  all  this  ?"  "  That  woman,"  said  he, 
"  is  a  little  sinner ;  perhaps  she  told  a  little  lie,  or 
got  a  little  angry,  or  said  some  bad  word  not  big 
enough  to  confess — her  so  standing  before  the  priest  is 
a  confession  of  some  such  little  sin — and  he  laid  the 
rod  upon  her  in  token,  and  as  a  sign,  of  forgiveness." 
Such  was  the  sight  seen,  and  such  was  its  explana- 
tion !  What  horrible  perversion  of  the  Gospel,  under 
the  light  which  comes  pouring  down  the  dome  of  St. 
Peter's,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  high  altar,  where 
the  Head  of  the  Church  alone  can  officiate  !  And  what 
a  labor-saving  process  for  confession,  and  to  obtain  for- 
giveness !  A  courtesy  is  a  confession,  and  the  sticking 
out  of  a  long  rod  conveys  pardon  !  And  all  this  in  St. 
Peter's !  The  ridiculous  in  the  presence  of  the  sublime ! 
With  a  guide-book  in  my  hand,  I  was  walking 
around,  gazing  now  at  this  painting,  now  at  that 
group  of  statuary,  and  now  at  that  superb  mosaic.  I 
stopped  before  the  high  altar,  and  by  the  confessional, 
as  it  is  called,  which  contains  the  grave  of  St.  Peter. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  marble  balustrade,  from  which 
are  suspended  many  lamps  constantly  burning.  A 
double  flight  of  steps  leads  down  to  the  shrine,  where 
is  a  kneeling  pope  by  Canova,  and  other  statues.  A 
silver-gilt  box  rests  upon  the  tomb  of  St.  Peter,  in 
which  are  placed  the  palli,  when  finished  by  the  with- 
ered nuns  of  St.  Agnes,  which  the  Pope  confers  on  the 


138  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Palli.  Poor  Ives.  The  wafer  in  St.  Peter's. 

priests  when  made  archbishops.  They  are  placed  there 
to  absorb  some  virtue  from  the  holy  atmosphere  which 
there  circulates  !  It  is  somewhere  about  this  tomb 
the  Pope  is  said  to  have  hung  the  badges  of  office  of 
poor  Bishop  Ives,  on  his  recent  surrender  of  them,  with 
his  faith,  at  the  foot  of  the  sovereign  pontiff!  Is  it 
not  a  wonder  that  sensible  men  do  not  see  how  closely 
Puseyism  treads  upon  the  heels  of  the  ridiculous  and 
farcical ! 

As  I  turned  away  from  the  "  Confessional,"  I  ob- 
served a  young  man  of  medium  appearance,  half-way 
between  a  peasant  and  a  shop-keeper,  making  his  way 
to  an  altar.  He  knelt  before  it.  I  stood  to  witness 
the  result.  He  prayed  for  a  brief  time.  "Without 
changing  his  position,  he  looked  round  and  beckoned  to 
a  boy.  They  whispered.  The  boy  ran  off,  and  soon 
returned  with  a  priest.  The  wafer  was  taken  out — 
converted  into  Grod — was  laid  upon  the  man's  tongue — 
and  the  priest  was  away  again  !  The  whole  thing 
was  over  in  as  short  time  as  it  takes  me  to  write  this 
account  of  it.  This  was  the  only  instance  I  saw  in 
Italy  of  a  man  taking  the  wafer.  This  was  in  St. 
Peter's,  and  the  whole  thing,  as  far,  at  least,  as  the  offi- 
cials were  concerned,  was  a  farce.  There  is  no  wor- 
ship in  this  basilica  of  the  popes,  it  is  only  a  splendid 
temple  of  the  arts. 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  139 

The  Sistine.  Fresco  of  St.  Bartholomew.  Of  the  Judgment. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Sistine. — Fresco  of  the  Judgment.  —  Entrance  of  Cardinals. — En- 
trance of  the  Pope. — Salutation  of  the  Pope. — His  Appearance. — 
Anecdote  of  Dr.  Miller. — Questions. — Cardinals. — Antonelli. — How- 
to  modify  our  Opinions  and  Ideas. — How  absurd  appear  the  Claims 
of  Popery  in  the  Sistine. 

The  Sistine  Chapel  is,  of  course,  an  object  of  great 
curiosity  at  Rome.  It  is  connected  with  the  palace  of 
the  Vatican,  which  is  adjoining  St.  Peter's,  and  is  the 
private  chapel  of  the  Pope.  You  ascend  the  famous 
stair-case  of  Bernini,  which  is  guarded  at  the  foot  by 
"the  Swiss  Guards,"  the  most  fantastical-looking  sol- 
diers imaginable,  and  enter  the  Sala  Regia,  a  large  au- 
dience-chamber adorned  with  fine  frescoes,  and,  among 
others,  with  that  commemorating  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew  !  Papists  would  deny  any  responsibility 
for  that  horrible  massacre,  and  yet  its  blessed  memory 
is  perpetuated  in  the  Vatican  by  a  splendid  fresco ! 
From  this  chamber  you  enter  the  Sistine,  and  the  fresco 
of  the  Judgment,  by  Angelo,  sixty  feet  high  and  thirty 
broad,  is  before  you.  This  is  universally  admitted  to 
be  the  most  extraordinary  picture  in  the  history  of  the 
art  of  painting.  The  conception  is  such  as  the  genius 
alone  of  Angelo  could  embody,  and  the  result  is  grand 
and  sublime.  Although  faded  by  the  triple  effect  of 
damp,  time,  and  the  incense  so  often  burned  on  the  al- 
tar beneath  it,  it  is  difficult  to  weary  in  gazing  upon  it. 

This  spot  we  frequently  visited  ;  and  it  was  here,  at 


140  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Entrance  of  cardinals.  Saluting  the  Pope.  His  appearance. 

vespers  and  matins,  on  feast-days,  we  had  our  views 
of  the  Pope  and  his  cardinals.  The  cardinals  enter  by 
the  same  door  as  do  strangers — walk  along  the  aisle, 
with  a  servant  untwisting  their  robes,  to  the  inner  of 
the  three  apartments  into  which  it  is  divided — there 
they  kneel  and  pray  toward  the  altar,  their  attendants 
fixing  their  robes  all  the  while — then  they  rise,  and, 
after  bowing  to  the  altar  and  to  their  brethren  on  the 
right  and  left,  take  their  seats,  with  their  servants  at 
their  feet. 

When  all  is  in  preparation,  there  is  a  bustle,  and 
soon  the  Pope  enters  by  the  opposite  door,  bows  to  the 
altar,  and  goes  up  to  his  chair.  Then  one  after  the 
other  the  cardinals  leave  their  seats,  their  scarlet  robes 
trailing  behind  them ;  and  after  saluting  the  Pope  by 
kissing  his  hand  covered  by  his  vestments,  they  return 
to  them.  When  this  ceremony,  which  fills  you  with 
disgust  for  the  actors,  is  over,  the  services  commence, 
which  are  mostly  conducted  by  a  choir  made  up  of 
men  and  eunuchs.  Twice  did  I  witness  these  cere- 
monies in  the  Sistine  ;  on  the  first  occasion  there  were 
sixteen,  on  the  second,  twenty-three  cardinals  in  attend- 
ance. The  Pope  is  a  man  of  fine  proportions,  six  feet 
two  or  three  inches  high,  with  a  pleasing,  pensive  as- 
pect, not  very  Italian  in  a  visage  which  is  more  ex- 
pressive of  good  nature  than  of  talent  or  firmness.  He 
might  do  very  well  to  govern  a  convent ;  but  he  is  ut- 
terly unqualified  for  his  double  position  as  the  head  of 
a  church  and  of  a  state.  Personally  he  is  amiable  and 
well-meaning  ;  in  morals  he  stands  higher  than  his 
predecessors  or  cardinals;  and  that  is  all.  While  in 
his  presence  I  thought  of  an  anecdote  told  of  the  good 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE. 


141 


Anecdote  of  Dr.  Miller.  My  thoughts.  Antonelli 

Dr.  Miller,  of  Princeton.  When  in  the  Seminary  there, 
I  had  a  fellow-student  of  far  more  beauty  than  brains, 
and  who,  like  all  such,  was  quite  a  pretender.  An 
elder  from  a  country  church  went  to  the  professor  to 
inquire  for  a  pastor,  and  he  named  to  him  several 
young  gentlemen.     "  I  have  heard,"  said  the  elder,  "  of 

Mr. ,"  naming  the  pretty  student;  "  what  do  you 

think  of  him,  Dr.  Miller  ?"  Not  wishing  to  say  any 
thing  against,  nor  yet  willing  to  commit  himself  as 
strongly  recommending  the  student,  he  hesitated,  but 
finally  replied,  "  He  is  a  confoundedly  good-looking 
fellow."  This  is  about  my  estimate  of  Pio  Nono. 
Yet  I  confess  that  while  gazing  upon  him,  dressed  so 
gorgeously,  and  receiving  so  coldly  the  profound  hom- 
age of  the  cardinals,  I  could  not  help  asking,  Is  that 
the  man  who  retired  under  the  pretense  of  going  to 
pray,  dressed  himself  in  the  livery  of  a  servant,  jumped 
upon  the  box  of  a  carriage,  and  was  off  to  Graeta  ?  Is 
that  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ  in  our  world — the  head 
of  the  visible  Church — without  a  belief  in  whose  claims, 
and  an  abject  submission  to  them,  I  can  not  enter 
heaven  ? 

And  what  shall  I  say  of  the  cardinals  ?  Some  of 
them  were  very  old,  bending  under  the  weight  of  years ; 
some  of  them  were  very  plethoric,  and  quite  in  danger 
of  apoplexy  ;  and  some  of  them  quite  young  for  their 
position,  and  good-looking.  But  none  of  them  so  im- 
pressed me  as  did  Antonelli,  the  cardinal  Secretary  of 
State.  Young,  say  forty-five — thin,  tall,  with  penetrat- 
ing eye,  and  a  face  strongly  expressive  of  intellect, 
passion,  and  will,  you  would  single  him  from  the  rest 
as  a  real  spirit.    And  such,  by  all  accounts,  he  is.    He 


142  MEN    AND    THINGS 

The  Pope  a  puppet.  Ideas  modified.  Infallibility. 

is  the  soul  of  the  College  of  Cardinals ;  he  is  the  real 
Pope,  while  Pio  Nono  is  a  mere  puppet  in  his  hands, 
used  simply  to  give  validity  and  legality  to  his  acts. 
And  he  is  all  his  looks  indicate ;  shrewd,  far-seeing, 
vindictive,  tyrannical,  of  an  iron  will,  profuse,  and  prof- 
ligate in  his  morals.  Such  is  his  reputation  ;  such  is 
the  portrait  of  him  given  me  by  one  who  knew  him 
well,  and  for  years.  There  was  a  crowd  in  the  Sistine 
on  each  of  the  occasions  to  which  I  allude  ;  nor  was 
there  a  person  there  of  any  mark  that  escaped  the  no- 
tice of  Antonelli.  When  the  Pope  was  reading  the 
missal,  this  cardinal  was  reading  the  audience,  and  I 
was  striving  to  read  the  cardinals. 

How  a  few  sights  like  those  witnessed  in  the  Sistine 
modify  many  of  our  feelings  and  opinions !  A  bishop 
or  archbishop,  singly,  is  quite  a  person ;  a  single  car- 
dinal in  a  country,  as  "Wiseman  in  England,  is  far  more 
so ;  but  when  you  see  them  in  crowds,  as  in  Rome  or 
Naples,  you  soon  pass  them  by  without  notice.  When 
you  learn  their  true  character,  you  despise  them  ;  you 
regard  them  as  does  a  good  man  self-righteousness — 
the  more,  the  worse.  With  us  a  living  lizard  adds  to 
the  attraction  of  a  raree-show ;  but  when  they  surround 
you  every  where,  as  in  Italy,  they  become  excessively 
offensive. 

And  as  you  gaze  upon  the  Pope  and  cardinals  in  the 
Sistine,  how  the  idea  of  infallibility,  as  taught  by  the 
Papists,  takes  unto  itself  wings !  What,  that  good- 
looking,  good-natured,  but  yet  not  intelligent-looking 
man,  infallible !  Believe  it  who  can.  What,  the  Pope, 
and  these  cardinals  in  conclave,  infallible  !  The  idea 
is  preposterous.     And  to  feel  that  it  is  preposterous, 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  143 

Lunacy.  For  and  against.  Popery  detested  in  Rome. 

nothing  is  required  but  to  visit  the  Sistine,  and  to  wit- 
ness their  gorgeous  buffoonery,  which,  if  performed 
without  priestly  robes,  would  subject  them  to  the  im- 
putation of  lunacy.  And  are  these  the  men  who  give 
laws  to  the  papal  world — who  make  bishops  and  arch- 
bishops in  America — who  send  Wiseman,  in  red  stock- 
ings, to  England — who  decide  the  question  as  to  col- 
leges in  Ireland — who  turn  their  people  against  the 
crown  in  Britain — for  the  crown  in  Austria — against 
liberty  in  Sardinia  and  Hungary — and  for  it,  wherever 
they  can  remove  let  or  hinderance  to  the  extension  of 
their  ghostly  dominion  ?  Yes,  these  are  the  very  men, 
parading  their  man-millinery  before  you,  and  claiming 
to  exercise  by  Divine  right  an  irresponsible  power, 
which,  when  allowed,  lays  the  world  at  their  feet.  And 
will  their  claims  be  allowed  ?  Yes,  when  the  light  of 
truth  has  ceased  its  shining — when  the  Gospel-sun  has 
fallen  from  its  orbit  —  when  the  sea  has  ceased  its 
soundings.  If  there  is  a  city  in  the  world  where  Pop- 
ery can  be  so  read  as  to  be  detested,  it  is  Rome  ;  and 
if  there  is  a  spot  in  Rome  where  the  claims  of  Popery 
seem  more  ridiculous  than  another,  it  is  where  the 
Pope  and  cardinals  most  do  congregate.  And  when 
I  see  clever  men,  in  other  respects,  pleased  as  a  child 
with  a  bawble,  with  the  fillets  which  these  priests  of 
the  Sistine  confer — seeking  advice  at  their  hands  as  to 
how  they  are  to  manage  unruly  Americans — taking 
pompous  airs  upon  themselves  because  of  the  favors 
which  they  confer  —  placing  a  dagger  before  their 
names,  which,  if  needful,  I  fear,  they  would  plunge  into 
the  very  heart  of  our  liberties  at  their  bidding,  because 
of  their  advancing  them  up  a  rung  or  two  in  the  priest- 


144  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Enormous  falsehood.  Procession  of  donkeys. 

ly  ladder ;  and  with  the  broad  banner  of  our  country 
floating  over  them,  acting  as  the  tools  and  the  spies 
of  these  Italian  ghostly  despots,  it  requires  all  the  gen- 
erous actings  of  my  nature  to  maintain  for  them  a 
particle  of  respect. 

Popery  as  a  system  is  an  enormous  falsehood  ;  may 
G-od  save  America  from  its  deceivings  and  its  tools.  To 
wipe  out  every  suspicion  from  the  mind  that  there  may 
be  .some  truth  in  the  high  claims  of  the  Pope  and  his 
college  of  cardinals,  nothing  is  necessary  but  a  visit 
to  the  Sistine.  The  person  who  can  not  be  thus  cured, 
is  a  fit  subject  for  the  solemn  procession  of  donkeys 
which  seek  the  blessing  of  his  holiness  on  the  Feast  of 
St.  Antony. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  145 

City  of  prodigies.  JEneas.  Mars.  Vultures 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Prodigies  of  Roman  History. — Rome  yet  a  City  of  Prodigies. — Juggle 
of  St.  Januarius.  —  Holy  House  of  Loretto.  —  Bambino.  —  Scala 
Sancta. — Maria  Maggiore. — Statue  of  Mary  at  St.  Agostine. — Holy 
Chain  in  St.  Peter's,  in  Vinculo. — Well  in  St.  Maria,  in  Via  Lata. — 
Prayer  in  the  Church  of  St.  Gregory. — Popery  a  prodigious  False- 
hood. 

Rome  has  been  always  a  city  of  prodigies  ;  prodigies 
abound  in  Roman  history  from  its  earliest  annals. 
iEneas  was  the  stm  of  Venus,  a  goddess.  Led  by  the 
god  Mercurius,  he  fled  from  Troy.  This  god  built  for 
him  a  ship,  in  which  he  put  to  sea  with  his  company. 
The  ship  was  miraculously  conducted  to  Latium ;  on 
landing,  he  was  conducted  by  a  white  sow  to  the  place 
of  his  first  habitation.  When  the  race  of  Anchises 
seemed  destined  to  extinction,  the  god  Mars  interposed, 
and  by  Sylvia,  then  a  vestal,  became  the  father  of  Rom- 
ulus and  Remus.  Sylvia  and  her  two  boys  were  cast 
into  the  Tiber  ;  Sylvia  became  a  goddess,  and  the  wife 
of  the  god  of  the  river.  Her  two  boys  were  stranded  near 
the  Palatine  Hill,  and  were  taken  by  a  she- wolf  to  her 
cave,  who  fed  them  as  a  mother.  When  they  needed 
something  more  than  milk,  meat  was  brought  them 
by  a  woodpecker,  and  other  birds  of  augury  hovered 
round  the  mouth  of  the  cave  to  keep  off  insects  from 
the  sons  of  Mars  !  "When  Rome  was  to  be  built,  these 
two  brothers  were  divided  in  opinion  as  to  the  location  ; 
but  the  flight  of  vultures  decided  for  the  Palatine  Hill 

G 


146  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Remus.  Mass  instituted.  Romulus.  The  succession. 

and  for  Romulus.  Remus  was  killed  by  his  brother 
for  contemptuously  stepping  over  a  rampart  made  by 
him  around  the  hill ;  but  subsequently  announced  his 
forgiveness  of  his  brother,  on  the  condition  of  the  in- 
stitution of  a  feast  to  commemorate  his  memory,  and 
on  which  a  kind  of  a  mass  should  be  said  for  the  re- 
pose of  his  soul.  In  a  battle  with  the  Sabines  the  Ro- 
mans were  flying  before  them  ;  but  Romulus  called 
upon  Jupiter,  and  vowed  to  build  him  a  temple  if  he 
would  give  him  victory.  The  Romans  returned  to  the 
conflict,  gained  the  victory,  and  hence  the  temple  of 
Jupiter  Stator.  Romulus  was  taken  to  heaven  by  his 
father  Mars  in  a  thunder-storm,  where  he  was  wor- 
shiped as  a  god,  under  the  name  of  Quirinus.  But 
the  time  would  fail  me  to  tell  of  the  prodigies  of  the 
pious  Numa — of  the  shower  of  stones  on  Mount  Alba 
— of  the  eagle  taking  away  the  cap  of  Lucumo,  and 
replacing  it  —  of  Altus  cutting  a  whetstone  with  a 
razor — of  the  flames  that  played  round  the  head  of 
the  infant  Servius — of  the  statue  of  Servius  rebuking 
his  impious  daughter — of  the  fresh  bleeding  head  dug 
up  on  the  Capitoline  Hill  in  preparing  the  foundations 
for  the  fanes  of  Jupiter,  Juno,  and  Minerva — and  of 
the  thousand  and  one  wonders  which  abound  in  the 
history  of  regal,  consular,  and  imperial  Rome. 

Nor  is  the  city  of  the  seven  hills  less  a  city  of  prodi- 
gies now  than  in  the  days  of  augury,  pagan  priests, 
speaking  statues,  and  heads  bleeding  afresh  when  dug 
from  under  the  mountains.  However  the  chain  of 
succession,  in  other  respects,  has  been  broken — in  this 
respect  it  has  been  prodigiously  maintained.  Prodi- 
gies, prodigies,  meet   you   every  where  in  Italy,  and 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  147 

Present  prodigies.  St.  Januarius.  Loretto.  Bambino. 

priests  and  bishops  are  every  where  found  to  swear  to 
their  truth  ;  and  when  the  Pope  says  Amen,  then  these 
prodigies  become  matters  of  Catholic  faith.  Of  the  jug- 
gle about  the  liquefaction  of  the  blood  of  St.  Januarius 
at  Naples,  I  have  already  said  something.  0  what 
a  shameful  hoax  !  and  now  practiced  thrice  or  four 
times  a  year,  to  confirm  the  vulgar  belief! 

And  there  is  the  "  Holy  House  of  Loretto,"  a  peevish 
and  nervous  compound  of  stone  and  wood,  which  flew 
from  Palestine  to  Dalmatia,  and  then  from  Dalmatia 
across  the  Adriatic  to  Lauretum,  in  Italy,  in  which 
there  is  a  miraculous  image  of  Mary,  which  has  per- 
formed more  miracles  than  Moses,  Christ,  and  all  the 
apostles  together.  And  there  is  the  picture  of  Mary, 
faded,  dark,  and  ugly  at  the  present  day,  at  whose 
fane  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  now  yearly  offer 
up  their  adorations  !  And  all  the  lying  legends  about 
this  rickety  house  are  endorsed  by  the  Right  Rev- 
erend P.  R.  Kenrick,  of  St.  Louis,  a  foreign  priest  who 
has  come  commissioned  from  Rome  to  enlighten  the 
ignorant  and  unconverted  Americans  !  What  an  en- 
lightened people  we  will  be  when  our  credulity  has 
grown  so  as  to  exercise  a  full  faith  in  such  a  monster 
absurdity. 

And  there  is  the  wonderful  Bambino,  which  mine 
own  eyes  have  seen,  in  the  church  of  Ara  Coeli,  on  the 
Capitoline  Hill,  and  in  reference  to  which  I  have  al- 
ready said  something  to  Chief-justice  Taney.  It  is  a 
doll,  which  looks  as  if  it  was  made  in  Germany  and 
dressed  in  Italy,  representing  the  infant  Christ.  Its 
history  is,  of  course,  miraculous.  It  was  made  in 
Palestine — was  lost  at  sea — suddenly  appeared  at  Leg- 


148  MEN     AND    THINGS 

The  angelical  doctor.  Scala  Sancta.  Maria  Maggioro. 

horn — was  conducted  in  triumph  to  Rome — was  stolen 
away  by  a  pious  lady — was  restored  by  angels  to  its 
place  again  in  Ara  Coeli,  amid  the  ringing  of  bells, 
and  at  this  hour  gets  more  fees,  and  is  said  to  cure 
more  patients,  than  all  the  doctors  of  Rome  !  The 
richly-jeweled  doll  is  conveyed  in  a  sumptuous  car- 
riage, attended  by  priests  and  guards,  to  the  houses  of 
the  sick  ;  if  they  get  well,  Bambino  has  the  credit;  if 
they  die,  it  has  none  of  the  blame  !  Where,  in  the  pa- 
gan and  fabulous  annals  of  Rome,  is  a  prodigy  to  sur- 
pass Bambino  ? 

And  there  is  the  Scala  Sancta,  at  St.  John  Lateran. 
This,  too,  has  its  miraculous  history.  It  consists  of 
twenty-eight  marble  steps,  which,  tradition  says,  be- 
longed to  the  house  of  Pilate,  and  down  which  the 
Savior  descended  when  he  left  the  judgment-seat. 
It  was  carried  by  angels  to  Rome,  as  the  house  of  Lo- 
retto  was  carried  to  Dalmatia,  and  thence  to  Italy. 
None  are  permitted  to  go  up  these  steps  save  on  their 
knees  ;  and  by  doing  so,  the  person  secures  certain  ple- 
nary indulgences,  and  for  years  together.  I  saw  with 
sorrow  devotees  crawling  up  these  steps.  My  feet 
trod  upon  the  three  upper  steps,  and  behold,  I  yet  live ! 
It  was  crawling  up  these  very  steps  that  the  great  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  faith  burst  upon  the  mind  of 
Luther,  with  a  brightness  which  was  never  eclipsed. 
It  is  one  of  the  great  prodigies  of  Rome. 

And  there  is  the  fine  basilica  of  St.  Maria  Maggiore, 
so  called  from  being  the  chief  church  of  Rome  dedi- 
cated to  Mary.  It  is  upon  the  Esquiline  Hill,  and 
upon  the  very  ground  selected  for  the  purpose  by  heav- 
en, and  indicated  by  a  fall  of  snow  covering  precisely 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  149 

Toe  of  Mary.  Peter's  chain.  Miraculous  well. 

the  ground,  on  the  5th  day  of  August !  Can  the  show- 
er of  stones  on  Mount  Alba  surpass  this  ?  Beneath 
an  altar  in  this  church  are  the  swaddling-clothes  which 
covered  the  Savior  when  laid  in  the  manger  !  Are  not 
these  prodigies  ? 

In  the  church  of  St.  Agostine  is  a  statue  of  Mary 
and  the  infant  Savior,  by  Sansovino.  It  possesses 
great  sanctity  and  efficacy  ;  but  why,  I  could  not  learn. 
I  saw  crowds  of  poor  people  kissing  the  toe  of  Mary, 
and  rendering  the  most  revolting  homage  to  the  stat- 
uary !  And  the  church,  its  naves,  its  pillars,  its  altars, 
are  glittering  all  over  with  hearts  hung  on  them  by  the 
persons  who  obtained  healing  by  kissing  the  toe  of 
Mary,  and  rendering  homage  to  the  marble  representa- 
tion of  herself  and  her  Son  ! 

In  the  church  of  St.  Peter's,  in  Yinculo,  is  the  chain 
which  bound  St.  Peter  when  in  prison  in  Jerusalem. 
That  holy  chain  gives  its  name  to  the  building,  and 
imparts  to  it  its  sanctity.  Its  very  touch  has  wrought 
many  miracles.  Filings  from  it  have  been  sold  at 
enormous  prices,  and  have  been  set  in  rings,  bracelets, 
and  pins  for  kings  and  queens.  Five  devils  flew  out 
of  the  mouth  of  a  man  on  being  touched  with  it ;  and, 
being  broken  in  two,  it  became  miraculously  one  again 
on  being  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Pope  by  St.  He- 
lena !  And  these  miracles  are  splendidly  commemo- 
rated by  frescoes  from  the  pencils  of  the  best  masters. 
And  that  wondrous  chain  is  annually  exhibited  for  the 
adoration  of  the  faithful.  Is  not  that  chain  a  prodigy  ? 
And  beneath  the  church  of  St.  Maria,  in  Via  Lata,  is 
the  miraculous  well,  which  sprung  up  for  the  baptism 
of  those  converted  by  Paul,  and  the  very  pillar  to  which 


150  MEN     AND     THINGS 

The  pillar.  Prayer  to  St.  Gregory. 

he  was  bound,  and  the  very  chain  that  bound  him  to 
it!  And  that  miraculous  water  is  kept  under  lock 
and  key,  and  is  only  exhibited  to  the  faithful  once  a 
year  !  On  that  pillar  these  words  are  deeply  engraven, 
"  Verbum  Dei  non  est  alligatumP  0,  if  that  sen- 
tence was  only  engraved  on  the  pillar  which  adorns 
the  piazza  of  St.  Peter's  ! 

But  what  impressed  me  beyond  any  thing  of  the 
kind  I  saw  in  Home,  was  a  prayer  offered  by  the  faith- 
ful daily  in  the  church  of  St.  Gregory.  There  is  among 
the  priests  great  expectations  as  to  the  return  of  En- 
gland to  the  true  faith,  which  the  numerous  defections 
there  have  greatly  increased.  And  St.  Gregory  is  the 
personage  to  whom  they  most  look,  and  whose  aid  they 
most  solicit  to  this  end.  And  here  is  the  prayer,  cop- 
ied on  the  spot  from  a  little  board  on  which  it  is  pasted, 
in  Italian  and  English,  for  the  use  of  the  faithful : 

"  0  adorable  defender  and  propagator  of  the  faith,  St. 
Grregory,  from  thy  seat  of  glory  in  heaven,  behold  how 
great  a  portion  of  the  noblest  British  empire  is  with- 
out the  pale  of  that  holy  faith,  which  through  thy  zeal 
it  received  of  the  sons  of  Saint  Benedict,  sent  thither 
by  thee  ;  and  how  other  regions  of  this  miserable  world 
are  in  danger  of  losing  this  most  precious  of  divine 
gifts.  Through  that  most  ardent  charity  which  dur- 
ing life  animated  thee,  obtain  for  that  kingdom,  from 
the  Most  High,  the  increase  and  diffusion  of  the  Cath- 
olic faith ;  and  for  us  the  grace  that  we  may  never 
waver  in  the  true  faith,  which  would  be  the  most  se- 
vere chastisement  that  could  befall  us  for  the  punish- 
ment of  our  sins.     Amen." 

Was  ever  a  prayer  offered  to  Jupiter  by  Romulus 
more  purely  pagan  than  this  ? 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  151 

Popery  a  prodigy  of  falsehood. 

And  were  it  necessary  to  adduce  the  old  relics  of 
St.  Peter's,  St.  John  Lateran,  Santa  Croce,  the  mirac- 
ulous bones,  clothes,  stones,  and  pictures  that  every 
where  abound,  it  would  appear  that  Rome  is  at  this 
hour  more  a  city  of  prodigies  than  when  Numa  pre- 
sided in  the  state,  or  when  the  Pontifex  Maximus  of- 
fered sacrifices,  or  augurs  predicted  coming  events 
from  the  entrails  of  animals  or  the  flight  of  birds. 
Popery  is  a  religion  of  prodigies,  and  is  itself  a  prodigy 
of  falsehood.  To  me  it  is  a  wonder  how  any  sensible 
man  can  do  otherwise  than  scornfully  reject  it. 


152  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Rome  to  be  studied.  Its  churches. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

Rome  to  be  studied. — Its  numerous  Churches. — Their  Riches  of  Art 
and  Endowment. — Numerous  Priests  and  Nuns. — Poverty  of  the 
People.— Abounding  Beggars. — Way  to  shake  them  off. — Absence 
of  Youth. — The  People  in  Fear. — Despotism,  through  the  Confes- 
sional.— Its  Morals. — No  Religion  there. — The  Voice  of  Rome  to 
the  Nations. — Its  History  not  yet  ended. 

To  an  American  and  a  Christian  visiting  Rome,  all 
questions  pertaining  to  its  moral  and  social  condition 
possess  deep  interest ;  and  they  will  receive  a  full  ex- 
amination. Rome  is  the  centre  of  Papal  unity  —  is 
the  seat  of  the  Pope  and  his  court — is  the  Jerusalem 
of  the  Papist  in  all  lands — is  the  point  whence  all  the 
authority  in  the  Papal  Church  proceeds,  and  whither 
all  questions,  of  whatever  character  upon  which  the 
provinces  are  divided,  return  for  solution.  There  is  the 
fountain-head  of  infallibility,  and  where  you  would  very 
naturally  expect  those  model  civil  and  social  institutions 
to  exist  after  which  the  Pope  and  his  priests  would 
fashion  the  world.  And  if  the  nations  could  only  read 
in  the  light  of  history,  and  in  the  light  of  the  present 
state  of  Rome  and  the  Romans,  the  true,  the  legitimate 
influence  of  Popery  wherever  it  gains  the  ascendant 
power,  they  would  dread  its  establishment  among  them 
as  they  would  the  scourges  of  war,  famine,  and  pesti- 
lence. 

Among  the  first  things  that  impress  you  in  Rome  is 
the  number  and  splendor  of  its  churches.  The  people 
are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  all  told,  and 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  153 

Church  accommodation.  Endowed.  Priests  and  nuns. 

there  are  said  to  be  nearly  four  hundred  churches. 
This  would  be  a  church  for  every  four  hundred  inhab- 
itants. And  when  we  consider  that  St.  Peter's,  St. 
John  Lateran,  St.  Maria  Maggiore,  would  contain  many 
thousands,  and  that  even  the  smaller  churches  would 
contain  from  one  to  three  thousand,  we  will  readily  ad- 
mit that  there  is  a  superabundance  of  church  accom- 
modation. 

And  these  churches  are  all  richly,  many  of  them  mag- 
nificently embellished.  There  is  a  wealth  of  art  in  its 
churches,  almost  if  not  quite  sufficient  to  pay  the  debt 
of  the  English  nation.  And  these  churches,  with  their 
cardinals,  archbishops,  bishops,  chapters,  and  priests, 
are  utterly  independent  of  the  people ;  they  are  all  rich- 
ly, some  of  them  royally  endowed. 

Another  of  the  striking  peculiarities  of  Rome  is  the 
number  of  its  priests  and  nuns.  There  are  upward 
of  two  thousand  nuns,  and  about  three  thousand  priests ; 
making  a  due  allowance  for  children,  there  is  a  priest 
for  every  twenty-five  adults  !  And,  taken  as  a  class, 
they  are  the  best-looking,  best-dressed,  best-fed  men 
you  meet ;  and  if  they  are  not  perfectly  satisfied  with 
their  condition,  their  stately  tread,  their  self-complacent 
air,  bear  false  witness  against  them.  The  Pope  lives 
in  regal  style.  The  cardinals,  with  their  horses,  serv- 
ants, carriages  all  in  scarlet,  live  and  move  as  princes. 
They  are  the  princes  of  the  Church  and  of  the  Roman 
state.  The  bishops  live  sumptuously  ;  and  even  the 
mendicant  monks  are  as  fat  and  greasy  as  is  desirable. 
And  such  is  the  number  of  these  priests  that  you  meet 
them  every  where ;  and  when  a  noted  service  is  to  be 
performed,  they  are  there  in  dozens  as  actors.  If  priests 
G2 


154  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Priests  make  no  paradise.  Beggars.  Way  to  drive  them  off. 

of  every  class  and  character,  in  numbers  entirely  sat- 
isfactory, and  wielding  all  power,  could  civilize,  enlight- 
en, and  Christianize  a  place,  then,  in  every  desirable 
respect,  Rome  would  be  an  earthly  paradise. 

But  in  striking  contrast  with  the  sumptuousness  of 
their  churches,  their  riches  of  art,  and  the  wealth  of 
the  priests,  is  the  poverty  and  wretchedness  of  the  peo- 
ple. Beggars  meet  you  every  where — in  the  streets, 
at  the  doors  of  cafes  and  shops,  at  the  doors  of  churches, 
amid  the  ruins  of  the  Forum  and  the  Coliseum,  and 
even  under  the  very  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  While  lean- 
ing over  the  "confessional"  and  admiring  the  kneel- 
ing Pope,  by  Canova,  a  mutilated  beggar  gave  me  a 
gentle  hint,  by  politely  pulling  the  tail  of  my  coat,  that 
charity  should  be  exercised  under  the  shadow  of  the 
high  altar,  and  in  the  very  presence  of  the  holy  relics 
of  Peter  and  Paul !  All  points  of  interest  which  attract 
strangers  have  also  peculiar  attraction  for  beggars. 
They  annoy  you  every  where,  and  are  shaken  off  with 
difficulty.  An  English  gentleman,  the  companion  of 
many  a  ramble,  I  found,  by  a  stamp  of  his  foot  and  the 
utterance  of  certain  sounds,  could  send  them  off  at  once. 
After  witnessing  his  tact  frequently,  and  after  calling 
him  a  few  times  to  my  aid,  I  asked  him  what  he  said. 
"I  do  not  know,"  he  said,  laughingly;  "I  but  strive 
to  imitate  the  action  and  words  of  a  priest  before  whom 
I  saw  the  beggars  flee,  the  other  day,  in  the  Corso." 
We  appealed  to  our  valet  for  the  interpretation,  who 
said  they  meant  "  Go  to  the  d — ."  No  wonder  the  poor 
creatures  so  hastily  concluded  that  the  person  who  could 
send  them  so  far  beyond  Purgatory  would  give  them 
neither  a  paul  nor  a  penny. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE. 


15$ 


Joyous  youth  missed. No  liberty. No  morals- 

You  also  miss  from  the  streets  and  promenades  of 
Rome  the  joyous  youth,  ranging  from  fourteen  to  twen- 
ty-five, which  you  meet  every  where  in  Britain  and 
France ;  and  the  people  you  do  meet  seem  dull  and 
joyless.  They  seem  to  walk  in  dread  of  an  omnipres- 
ent enemy.  And  instead  of  bowing  to  the  priests  that 
are  evermore  flitting  along  with  shovel-hats  and  robes 
indicating  their  order,  they  dart  on  them  a  furtive 
glance,  and  give  a  meaning  shake  of  the  head  when 
they  are  past.  You  need  only  walk  the  streets,  en- 
ter the  shops,  and  read  the  countenances  of  the  people, 
to  know  that  the  Romans  feel  and  dread  the  rod  of  the 
oppressor. 

Nor  is  there  any  liberty  in  Rome.  Every  family  is 
under  a  priestly  spy  :  through  the  confessional  and  the 
women  the  priest  gets  the  secrets  of  the  family,  its  vis- 
itors, the  opinions  of  fathers  and  sons ;  and  often,  on 
the  confessions  of  mothers  and  daughters,  husbands  and 
brothers  are  immured  in  prisons,  or  sentenced  to  the 
galleys.  A  gentleman,  for  years  a  resident  of  the  city, 
informed  me  that  the  despotism  of  the  worst  emperors 
was  no  more  severe  than  that  now  exercised  under  the 
sanction  of  Pio  Nono.  Rome,  Naples,  Austria,  par  ex- 
cellence Papal  states,  and  yet  the  culminating  points 
of  despotism ! 

Nor  are  there  any  true  morals  in  Rome.  How  could 
there  be  with  such  an  army  of  lazy  priests,  and  with 
such  a  swarm  of  French  soldiers?  The  last  Pope  has 
left  several  heirs :  the  present  one  has  a  good  public 
character ;  but  as  to  the  cardinals  and  priests,  it  is 
notorious  that  they  are  only  forbidden  to  marry.  The 
noblest  of  the  Romans  say  that,  because  of  the  utter 


156  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Effects  of  the  confessional.  No  religion.  No  Sabbath. 

profligacy  of  the  priests  and  their  arts  at  the  confes- 
sional, they  have  no  confidence  in  the  virtue  of  their 
wives,  mothers,  sisters,  or  daughters  !  If  such  is  the 
public  and  general  character  of  the  priests,  what  must 
be  that  of  the  people  ?  Indeed,  I  could  not  place  be- 
fore my  readers  the  statements  made,  and  by  the  very 
best  witnesses,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the  low 
point  to  which  morals  have  fallen  in  Rome,  and  through 
the  profligacy  of  the  clergy,  from  the  Pope  down  to  the 
miserable  mendicant  friar,  whose  character  is  often 
more  filthy  than  his  feet  or  his  frock. 

Nor  is  there  any  religion  in  Rome.  There  is  super- 
stition there  as  rife  as  in  the  days  when  Jupiter  and 
Venus  were  worshiped  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  religion  of 
Christ  is  unknown  and  unpracticed.  I  spent  a  Sab- 
bath there  ;  and  as  there  was  no  Protestant  worship 
save  that  of  the  Puseyitish  stamp  without  the  walls, 
and  as  I  prefer  the  reality  to  the  bungling  imitation,  I 
went  to  St.  Peter's,  and  other  churches.  The  markets 
and  shops  were  more  crowded  than  usual.  The  priests 
were  seen  every  where  trading.  Peasants  from  beyond 
the  walls,  in  every  variety  of  costume,  were  in  the 
streets.  The  Sistine  was  crowded  mostly  by  strangers 
to  see  the  Pope  at  mass  amid  the  glittering  swords  of 
the  "guard  noble  ;"  but  St.  Peter's  was  almost  desert- 
ed, as  were  the  other  churches  that  I  visited.  There 
is  no  Sabbath  in  Rome — there  is  no  Bible  influence  in 
Rome  ;  the  common  people  scarcely  know  it  by  name 
— there  is  no  preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  Rome — there 
is  no  instruction  of  the  young  into  the  principles  of 
Divine  truth.  Their  religious  literature  is  a  compila- 
tion of  lying  legends,  of  which  the  wonders  of  Bam- 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  157 

Religious  literature.  True  picture.  Priestly  power. 

bino  and  of  the  Holy  House  of  Loretto  are  good  sam- 
ples; and  priests  and  people  are  living  without  hope 
and  without  God  in  the  world.  I  have  not  a  doubt  but 
that  the  priests  are  mainly  infidels ;  and  that  the  peo- 
ple, who  are  not  like  the  priests,  are  mainly  idolaters, 
from  whose  minds  all  ideas  of  God  and  of  Christ  are 
crowded  out  by  fictions  concerning  Peter,  pictures,  holy 
relics  and  places,  fables  of  the  saints,  and,  more  than 
all  and  above  all,  by  Mary  and  Bambino. 

Some  may  say  this  picture  is  overdrawn ;  but  it  is 
not  even  one  half  to  the  reality.  So  all  will  say  who 
have  spent  a  month  in  Rome  truly  desirous  to  know  its 
social  and  moral  state.  Your  liberty,  your  property, 
your  life,  hang  suspended  upon  the  will  of  priests,  who 
are  at  once  ignorant,  superstitious,  rapacious,  and  prof- 
ligate, who  feel  that  they  have  a  divine  warrant  to  flay 
or  fleece  you  as  they  will,  and  who  yield  to  no  impulse 
save  that  which  tends  to  strengthen  their  claims  and 
to  extend  their  dominion.  And  these  Romish  priests 
form  the  great  central  power  of  the  Papal  Church. 
They  make,  or  unmake,  bishops  and  archbishops  ;  and 
they  send  out  decrees  binding  upon  all  their  people, 
and  as  unchangeable  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes,  which 
give  direction  and  form  to  the  movements  and  opinions 
of  all  their  priests  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  And  could 
these  priests  have  their  way,  they  would  lay  the  na- 
tions, chained  and  debased,  as  lowly  at  the  feet  of  the 
Pope  and  his  cardinals  as  the  once  imperial  city  of  the 
Csesars  now  lies.  From  its  crowded  prisons,  and  its  be- 
trayed people,  and  its  banished  patriots,  and  its  Christ- 
less  churches — from  its  noiseless  streets,  and  the  ruins 
which  crowd  its  ancient  hills,  and  its  men  afraid  to 


158  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Voice  of  warning.  Rome's  history  not  ended. 

lisp  their  opinions  to  their  wives  or  daughters,  a  voice 
rises  for  the  warning  of  the  nations,  saying,  "  The  price 

OF    YOUR    CIVIL    AND   RELIGIOUS   LIBERTY  IS    ETERNAL   VIGI- 
LANCE of  Popery." 

The  history  of  Rome  is  not  ended.  It  is  yet  the 
seat  of  empire  in  opposition  to  the  kingdom  of  (rod.  It 
is  the  centre  of  a  spiritual  power  felt  for  evil  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  Let  that  power  be  scattered,  and  its 
prestige  is  gone — let  it  be  rendered  subservient  to  truth, 
and  the.  world  would  feel  its  renovating  effects.  God 
has  his  eye  upon  Rome,  and,  priest-ridden  and  down- 
trodden as  it  is,  will  make  it  subservient  to  some  glo- 
rious end.  For  Popery  there  is  nothing  in  reserve  but 
destruction ;  like  a  leprous  Jewish  house,  it  must  be 
torn  down.  But  moral  conquests  may  yet  be  obtained 
on  the  banks  of  the  muddy  Tiber  which  will  throw 
those  of  all  the  Caesars  into  the  shade. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  159 


Exit  from  Rome. 


Melancholy. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Leaving  Rome.-A  Procession  of  the  Host.-The  Aurelian  Way.- 
Civita  Vecchia.-Genoa  from  the  Sea.-The  City.-Columbus.- 
Political  History.— Duomo.— Head  of  John  the  Baptist.— Sacro  Ca- 
tino._Santa  Maria.— An  Evening  Ramble. -Scenes  in  the  Streets. 
— Female  Dress.— Tastes  differ. 

The  time  had  come  for  our  departure  from  Rome. 
As  we  wound  our  way  through  the  narrow  and  dirty 
streets  toward  the  bridge  St.  Angelo,  we  met  a  proces- 
sion carrying  the  host  to  a  dying  man.     Our  carriage 
stopped,  and  our  postillions  uncovered,  as  did  all  the 
people  in  the  street.     A  guard  of  soldiers  went  before 
it  with  drawn   swords  ;    a  priest  gorgeously  arrayed 
carried  it,  followed  by  one  of  those  hideous  processions 
made  up  of  persons  wrapped  up  in  a  sheet  with  holes 
made  only  for  their  eyes ;  another  guard  of  soldiers 
brought   up   the   rear!     Nothing  but   its    stupendous 
wickedness  can  surpass  its  stupendous  folly  and  gross 
superstition.     We  crossed  the  noble  bridge,  filed  to  the 
left  in  front  of  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  passed  by  the 
Yia  S.  Spirito,  under  the  walls  of  St.  Peter's,  and  by 
the  Fabrician  Gate  made  our  exit  from  the  City  of 
the  Popes.     And  as  the  magnificent  dome  of  St.  Angelo 
died  away  in  the  distance,  and  the  gathering  shades  of 
evening  hid  one  object  after  another  from  our  view,  we 
yielded  to  a  feeling  of  melancholy,  suggested  by  the 
reflection  that  we  had  taken  our  last  view  of  the  ruins, 
the  splendor,  the  wretchedness,  and   the  superstition 


160  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Night  ride.  Civita  Vtcchia.  Genoa. 

of  the  most  historic,  the  most  superstitious,  the  most 
dilapidated,  the  worst  governed  city  on  the  globe.  It 
is  pleasant  to  visit  Rome ;  it  would  be  horrible  to  live 
there. 

We  left  Rome  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  after  trundling  all  night  over  the  old  Aurelian  "Way, 
and  through  as  desolate  a  country  as  could  be  desired, 
so  far  as  we  could  see  it  by  the  light  of  a  full  moon, 
we  found  ourselves  entering  the  ponderous  gates  of 
Civita  Yecchia  at  five  in  the  morning.  This  is  the 
sea-port  of  Rome,  and  is  in  every  respect  as  contempti- 
ble as  it  has  been  represented.  Soldiers,  priests,  beg- 
gars, here  swarm  as  they  do  every  where  in  Italy. 
Why  is  it  that  these  always  abound  together  ?  We 
took  a  walk  around  the  city — through  the  market,  its 
churches,  and  around  its  fortifications.  Nothing  im- 
pressed us.  It  was  on  the  balcony  of  a  hotel  here,  over- 
looking the  square,  that  an  Italian  denounced  to  me 
the  priests  and  soldiers  sauntering  below,  in  thoughts 
that  breathed  and  words  that  burned.  The  steamer 
from  Naples  soon  made  her  appearance,  and  we  were 
soon  away  for  Genoa. 

Grenoa  looks  magnificently  from  the  sea.  It  lies  at 
the  base  of  a  broken  range  of  hills  gracefully  sloping  to 
the  water,  and  whose  sides  are  dotted  with  gay  sub- 
urban palaces  almost  to  the  very  summit.  Its  streets 
are  very  narrow,  exceedingly  up  and  down,  in  many 
places  inaccessible  to  carriages,  and  several  of  them 
are  lined  with  palaces.  Indeed,  it  is  called  "the  City 
of  Palaces."  But  while  we  by  no  means  admired  it 
to  the  extent  we  expected  and  intended,  it  is  a  city  of 
deep  interest  to  a  traveler  from  America.     It  was  here 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  161 

Columbus.  Political  history.  Now  rising. 

that  Columbus  was  born,  the  discoverer  of  the  Western 
World.  The  son  of  a  poor  wool- comber,  he  soon  devel- 
oped an  irresistible  passion  for  the  sea.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  commenced  navigating  these  waters,  and 
when  he  had  passed  but  a  little  beyond  his  fiftieth 
year,  he  gave  rise  to  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  our 
race  by  the  discovery  of  America.  And  yet  little  is 
known  here  of  the  man,  who,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
civilized  world,  is  one  of  the  great  and  chief  benefactors 
of  mankind.  He  bequeathed  a  few  manuscripts  to  the 
city — these  are  venerated  as  relics,  and  that  is  all ! 
I  asked  for  the  place  where  the  wool-comber  lived,  but 
none  could  tell  me. 

The  political  history  of  Genoa  makes  it  also  inter- 
esting to  an  American.  After  the  downfall  of  the  em- 
pire of  Charlemagne,  it  became  a  republic,  and  famous 
for  its  maritime  enterprise.  The  conflicts  between  it 
and  Venice  are  known  of  all  men.  But  although  often 
torn  by  fearful  internal  dissensions,  and  often  con- 
quered by  foreign  powers,  and  now  a  part  and  parcel 
of  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia,  its  old  love  of  liberty  has 
never  been  extinguished.  It  is  now  the  house  of  ref- 
uge for  the  banished  patriots  of  Lower  Italy  ;  and  while 
the  cities  of  the  Pope  and  of  the  King  of  Naples  are  rap- 
idly declining,  this  is  rapidly  rising,  and  looks  more 
like  an  American  city  as  to  the  shipping  in  the  harbor, 
the  bustle  on  the  quays,  and  the  warehouses  erecting, 
than  any  other  we  have  seen  on  the  Mediterranean. 

Genoa  is  a  Papal  city,  while  the  law  secures  the 
rights  of  conscience  to  all.  The  priests  and  churches 
are  very  numerous,  but  the  priests  walk  not  as  proudly, 
nor  are  the  churches  as  gorgeous,  as  in  Central  Italy. 


162  MEN     AND     THINGS 

St.  Lorenzo.  Sacred  relics.  Sacro  Catino. 

The  Duomo  or  Cathedral  of  St.  Lorenzo  is  a  singular 
affair,  different  in  its  architecture  from  any  we  saw. 
In  its  friezes  are  inscriptions  which  narrate  that  the 
city  was  founded  by  a  grandson  of  Noah,  and  that 
James  II.,  prince  of  Troy,  took  possession  of  it !  Priests 
have  a  remarkably  fine  genius  for  making  history. 
Here  also  is  a  neat  chapel,  which  no  woman  is  per- 
mitted to  enter,  beneath  whose  altar  is  a  chest  con- 
taining the  head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  !  Women 
were  excluded  by  Pope  Innocent  VIII.  from  this  sacred 
chapel  in  vengeance  upon  Herod ias.  Why  were  not 
men  also  excluded  in  vengeanee  upon  the  executioner? 
We  were  only  permitted  to  see  the  chest — we  dare  not 
look  with  Protestant  eyes  upon  the  holy  head  !  How 
many  heads  the  preacher  in  the  wilderness  must  have 
had  !  Here  also  is  a  miraculous  painting,  by  Luke,  of 
Mary  and  Bambino.  If  Luke  painted  all  the  pictures 
ascribed  to  him,  we  see  not  how  he  got  time  to  write 
his  G-ospel  or  to  say  his  prayers.  One  thing  is  certain, 
he  was  a  very  miserable  artist.  But,  above  all,  here  is 
the  wonderful  Sacro  Catino,  a  precious  dish  said  to 
have  been  given  by  the  Queen  of  Sheba  to  Solomon,  to 
have  held  the  Paschal  Lamb  at  the  Last  Supper,  and 
to  be  the  very  cup  in  which  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
caught  the  blood  flowing  from  the  wounds  of  the  Sav- 
ior  on  the  cross !  Three  times  a  year  is  this  Catino 
brought  out,  amid  an  array  of  priestly  magnificence, 
for  the  veneration  and  adoration  of  the  faithful.  It  is 
a  glass  cup  brought  from  Palestine  by  the  Crusaders, 
and  pious  priests  have  made  its  history.  It  was  once 
taken  to  Paris,  where  it  was  broken ;  but  the  pieces 
were  put  together  with  gold,  which  made  it  the  more 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  163 

Offer  declined.  A  view.  Evening  walk. 

valuable.  The  priests  offered  to  show  us  the  sacred 
relic  for  five  francs  a  head,  but  not  considering  the 
gross  humbug  worth  the  price,  we  declined  the  bar- 
gain. 

From  St.  Lorenzo,  we  clambered  up  a  high  hill,  on 
which  is  situated  the  church  of  Santa  Maria  di  Carig- 
nano,  and  wound  our  way  up  to  the  very  summit  of 
its  superb  cupola.  The  city,  the  harbor,  the  sea,  lay 
beneath  us,  and  the  magnificent  environs  lay  around 
and  above  us.  The  view  is  neither  grand  nor  extend- 
ed, but  Italy  presents  none  more  beautiful. 

In  the  cool  of  the  day,  we  sallied  out  to  see  and  hear 
what  we  could.  We  entered  every  church  we  met, 
and  it  was  the  same  old  story — beggars  at  the  door — 
a  few  women  inside — priests — altars — pictures,  some 
good,  some  not — the  same  monotonous  mumbling  of 
the  mass,  and  here  and  there  an  old  man  praying  be- 
fore crosses  and  pictures.  Recognized  as  strangers, 
we  were  assailed  by  beggars  at  every  corner,  among 
whom  was  a  fair  sprinkling  of  shaven  crowns,  with 
dirty  monkish  garbs.  And  to  see  priests,  peasants, 
and  women  stopping  in  the  midst  of  their  prayers, 
talking  and  laughing,  and  then  starting  on  again 
without  ever  changing  their  kneeling  position  —  the 
whole  thing  reveals  a  heartlessness  which  can  not  be 
described  to  those  who  have  never  witnessed  it.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  L.,  of  Massachusetts,  just  returning  from  a 
visit  to  the  East,  was  one  of  the  company.  He  stated 
that  the  Greek  Church  in  the  East  was  even  worse 
than  the  Church  in  Italy  ;  and  that  if  in  Jerusalem  he 
must  be  one  or  the  other,  he  would  prefer  being  a 
Mohammedan  to  a  Christian  after  the  Greek  or  Roman 


164  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Turk  and  Papist.  Ladies  of  Genoa.  Good  substitute. 

stamp  ;  that  the  Turk  held  and  practiced  more  of  the 
truths  of  the  Bible,  than  did  the  one  or  the  other  ! 
How  can  the  Turks  be  converted  to  Popery  ? 

The  streets  were  crowded  with  people,  and  mounte- 
banks were  playing  in  every  direction,  and  some  of 
them  performing  wonderful  feats.  We  were  impressed 
strongly  with  the  beauty  and  the  dress  of  the  females. 
Light  in  frame,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  and  finely 
proportioned,  they  seemed,  in  the  gloaming  of  the  day, 
rather  to  float  than  to  walk  before  you.  They  wear 
no  bonnets — a  bonnet  is  a  sure  sign  of  a  foreigner. 
Their  dress  consists  of  a  piece  of  muslin  folded  across 
the  top  of  the  head,  and  elegantly  pinned  to  the  hair, 
and  gracefully  falling  around  the  neck  and  over  the 
shoulders  in  the  form  of  a  shawl.  Their  ear-rings  are 
usually  large  and  elegant.  Their  countenances  are 
brilliant  and  expressive,  and  although  singular  in  dress 
and  appearance,  you  remember  only  their  taste  and 
elegance.  We  saw  no  female  dress  in  Europe  that  we 
desired  to  see  introduced  into  our  country,  save  that 
of  the  ladies  of  Genoa.  On  the  evening  of  a  warm 
summer's  day,  it  would  be  cool,  modest,  and  exceed- 
ingly graceful.  They  would  be  an  excellent  substitute 
for  those  excuses  for  bonnets  which  hang  upon  the  rear 
of  a  lady's  head,  or  for  that  enormously  ugly  superflu- 
ity of  Leghorn  under  which  they  sometimes  walk, 
which  keeps  all  companions  at  a  respectful  distance, 
and  which  flaps  in  the  wind  like  an  umbrella  from 
which  the  whalebone  had  been  taken  away.  Hideous 
affairs !     Tastes,  how  various !  Fashion,  what  a  tyrant ! 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  165 

Exit  from  Genoa.  Guardian  goddess.  Inventions. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Departure  from  Genoa. — A  Procession. — The  Goddess  of  the  City. — 
Primitive  Work. — Ascent  of  the  Apennines. — Descent. — Degraded 
Woman. —  Novi. — Great  Valley,  and  fertile. — Alessandria. —  Ma- 
rengo :  its  Battle. — Dessaix. — Austria. — Haynau  an  Incarnation  of 
Austria. — Enter  Turin. — An  Incident. 

In  leaving  the  city  for  Turin,  we  had  an  enchanting 
view  of  Grenoa  and  its  harbor.  On  our  way  out  we 
passed  one  of  those  horrible  funeral  processions,  such 
as  we  had  met  in  Naples  and  Rome,  in  which  persons 
are  covered  with  sheets,  with  holes  only  for  their  eyes  ! 
As  we  passed  through  the  gate  of  the  strong  wall  that 
guards  the  city,  we  turned  back  to  read  the  inscription 
over  it,  from  which  we  learned  that  "  The  most  blessed 
Virgin"  is  its  guardian  goddess !  Soon  we  came  to  a 
point  where  we  took  our  last  view  of  the  Mediterranean, 
and  turned  into  a  valley  of  beautiful  cultivation,  and 
pursued  our  way  to  the  foot  of  the  Apennines.  The 
day  was  hot  and  the  road  dusty,  and  it  was  quite 
primitive  and  refreshing  to  see  men  scattering  water 
on  the  highways  with  shovels  from  the  little  streamlets 
that  flowed  on  either  side  of  them  !  No  ideas  of  labor- 
saving  machinery  have  yet  reached  Italy,  save  those 
which  pertain  to  the  doing  up  of  confessions,  and  for- 
giving sins,  and  getting  money.  In  inventions  for 
these  purposes,  it  leads  the  world. 

We  ascended  the  Apennines  by  a  winding  road  of 
stupendous  workmanship,  which  is  at  no  point  steep, 


166  MEN      AND     THINGS 

Ascending  the  Apennines.  Descending.  Women  at  work. 

although  it  winds  up  a  mountain  which  seems  to  pos- 
sess no  more  inclination  from  a  straight  line  than  does 
the  leaning  tower  of  Pisa.  As  we  looked  up  we  could 
see  nothing  but  wall  above  wall,  and  arch  above  arch, 
as  high  as  the  eye  could  reach  ;  and  yet,  drawn  by 
twelve  horses  driven  and  ridden  by  quite  a  guard  of 
postillions,  we  ascended  in  full  trot  to  the  summit ; 
and  as  we  looked  down,  we  could  see  carriages  and 
men  as  pigmies  in  the  profound  depths  below  !  On 
the  very  summit  of  the  mountain,  where  nothing  but 
monks  and  goats  can  live,  we  found  a  monastery  whose 
bell  was  tolling  as  we  passed  it.  The  sound  recalled 
far  distant  lands,  and  a  well-remembered  house  of 
prayer,  and  a  beloved  people  accustomed  to  jepair  to 
the  sanctuary  at  the  call  of  the  church-going  bell  ! 
We  thought,  silently  prayed,  and  passed  on.  And  if 
we  went  up  the  Apennines  in  a  full  trot,  how  can  I 
describe  the  manner  we  went  down  it  ?  A  full  gallop 
does  not  express  it  as  we  felt  it.  And  amid  clouds  of 
dust,  the  jabbering  of  postillions,  the  baying  of  dogs 
at  our  John  Gilpin  career,  we  traveled  down,  and  on 
to  Novi. 

They  were  tunneling  the  Apennines  for  a  railway 
from  Turin  to  G-enoa,  which,  when  completed,  will  be 
a  great  affair  for  Sardinia.  And  armies  of  women  were 
engaged  in  making  these  tunnels  !  AYith  a  pannier 
of  peculiar  construction,  made  to  fit  the  back,  they  en- 
tered the  tunnel  at  one  side,  and  emerged,  laded,  on 
the  other  side  ;  bent  down  like  beasts  of  burden,  they 
followed  each  other  in  rows  to  the  end  of  the  embank- 
ment, where  each  turned  round  ;  there  a  man  drew  a 
pin  which  let  the  bottom  fall  out,  and  the  stone,  gravel, 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  167 

Female  degradation.  Novi.  Alessandria. 

or  clay  fell  out  of  the  basket !  And  hundreds  of  wom- 
en were  working  in  this  way  at  this  bestial  employ- 
ment !  Lime-kilns,  in  great  number,  line  the  road ; 
and  the  women  were  quarrying  the  stones,  carrying 
them  to  the  kilns,  and  sending  away  the  lime  !  Wheth- 
er these  women  were  convicts,  or  the  wives  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  peasants,  I  know  not ;  but  they  wore  no 
criminal  badge.  This  was  the  lowest  state  of  female 
degradation  I  ever  beheld.  Can  the  world  furnish  a 
lower  ?  And  in  these  parts  of  Sardinia  there  are  no 
"godless  schools"  to  vex  the  priests  or  to  pervert  the 
people. 

Out  of  the  large  cities,  the  inns  of  Italy  are  wretched. 
We  dined  at  Novi,  and  spent  some  hours  there  waiting 
the  cars.  The  people  looked  extremely  poor,  and  the 
town  extremely  dirty.  All  the  memorial  I  find  in  my 
journal  in  reference  to  this  place  is,  "At  Novi  we  dined 
at  the  table  d'hote,  and  most  filthy  it  was."  Here 
we  took  the  railway,  and  found  it  a  most  pleasant 
change  from  the  diligence  in  which  we  came  rushing 
down  the  Apennines  like  an  avalanche.  We  flew  over 
a  plain  of  boundless  extent,  level  as  our  salt  meadows 
or  Western  prairies,  reaching  from  the  Apennines  to 
the  Alps,  crowded  with  villages  under  magnificent  cul- 
tivation, and  irrigated  from  both  ranges.  We  were 
informed  that  by  means  of  irrigation  three  crops  are 
annually  raised  on  this  plain.  In  the  midst  of  it  stands 
the  city  of  Alessandria,  which  has  a  history.  This 
city  is  near  the  junction  of  the  Tanaro  and  Bormido, 
and  the  country  around  is  often  overflown  by  these 
rivers,  and  may  be  overflown  by  them  at  any  time 
when  necessary.     It  was  this  fact  which  led  to  its  se- 


168  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Pope  Alexander.  Battle  of  Marengo. 

lection  for  a  fortress  in  the  days  of  the  Gruelfs  and 
the  Grhibellines.  It  was  called  Alessandria  after  Pope 
Alexander  of  blessed  memory,  who,  it  is  said,  placed  his 
foot  upon  the  neck  of  the  Emperor  Frederic,  appropri- 
ating and  quoting  the  text,  "  Thou  shalt  tread  upon 
the  lion  and  the  adder."  The  Emperor  answered,  "  Not 
to  you,  but  to  Peter ;"  the  Pope  replied,  "  To  me,  and 
to  Peter."  But  the  great  interest  of  this  place  to  the 
modern  traveler  is,  that  the  famous  battle  of  Marengo 
was  fought  in  its  vicinity,  one  of  the  great  battles  of 
Napoleon.  On  that  extended  plain,  on  the  13th  of 
June,  1800,  met  the  Austrians  under  Melas,  forty  thou- 
sand strong,  and  the  French  under  Napoleon,  number- 
ing only  twenty  thousand.  The  battle  was  protracted 
and  desperate.  The  French  ranks  broke,  and  were  re- 
treating, when  Dessaix  appeared  in  the  distance.  Rid- 
ing up  to  Bonaparte,  he  said,  "  I  think  this  a  battle 
lost."  "  I  think  it  a  battle  won,"  was  the  reply. 
Thinking  they  were  masters  of  the  field,  the  Austrians 
relaxed  their  exertions,  and  gave  way  to  the  most  clam- 
orous joy  ;  when  Napoleon,  returning  upon  them  unex- 
pectedly, drove  all  before  him.  Hundreds  were  slain — 
thousands  were  taken  prisoners.  The  Bormido  was 
bridged  with  the  dead  bodies  of  horses  and  men,  and 
rolled  red  with  their  blood.  And  there,  under  our  eyes, 
lay  the  extended  plain,  bearing  the  most  luxuriant 
crops,  where  this  fearful  conflict  took  place;  and  all, 
save  the  massive  fortifications  of  the  city,  looked  as 
calmly  and  as  quietly  as  if  "the  battle  of  the  warrior 
with  confused  noise,  and  garments  rolled  in  blood," 
had  never  been  there  fought.  The  way  in  which  the 
Little  Corporal  gained  this  battle  would  almost  induce 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  169 

Dessaix.  Bloody  Austria.  Approaching  the  Alps. 

the  belief  that  the  stars  in  their  courses  fought  with 
him.  Never  was  he  so  near  losing  a  battle  that  he  did 
not  lose,  and  rarely  did  he  gain  so  complete  a  victory. 
But  it  was  gained  at  the  expense  of  the  life  of  the  gal- 
lant and  generous  Dessaix,  to  whom  even  the  Egyptians 
gave  the  name  of  the  Just  Sultan,  who  fell  by  a  can- 
non-ball just  as  the  shouts  of  victory  rose  from  the 
ranks  of  the  French.  His  body  was  embalmed  and 
carried  to  the  hospitium  on  the  St.  Bernard,  where 
stands  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory.  Another 
was  erected  to  him  on  the  plain  of  Marengo,  which  was 
destroyed  by  the  Austrians  in  1814.  Will  Austria  ever 
do  a  noble  act  ?  It  is  essentially  a  nation  of  savages, 
and  should  be  so  regarded  and  treated.  Its  history  is 
a  disgrace  to  the  civilization  of  Europe.  I  can  not 
otherwise  regard  the  human  butcher  Haynau  than  as 
Austria  incarnate.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  highest 
welfare  of  our  race,  and  especially  the  true  social  re- 
generation of  Europe,  require  that  it  should  be  broken 
to  pieces  as  a  potter's  vessel. 

From  Alessandria  we  proceeded  onward  toward  Tu- 
rin. Soon  the  Alps,  which  lay  all  day  in  dim  outline 
propping  the  sky,  became  clearly  visible.  As  the  in- 
tense glare  of  the  sun  faded  away  on  the  approach  of 
evening,  they  became  clearly  denned.  As  we  approach- 
ed them  the  oppressive  heat  of  the  day  gave  way  to  a 
chilly  atmosphere,  which  rendered  an  overcoat  quite 
comfortable.  As  the  dusk  of  the  evening  fell  around 
us,  we  crossed  the  Po,  and  under  the  dazzling  glare  of 
snow-clad  mountains,  on  which  a  bright,  full,  cloudless 
moon  was  shining,  we  entered  the  city  of  Turin,  and 
soon  found  ourselves  comfortably  located  in  the  Hotel 

H 


L70  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Fellow-travelers.  Bold  attack.  Bluster. 

1' Europe.      We  were  now  in  the  beautiful  capital  of 
the  kingdom  of  Sardinia. 

At  a  station  between  Alessandria  and  Turin,  two 
brawny  yet  well  dressed  Italians  came,  jostling  each 
other,  into  our  car.  Soon  they  commenced  an  excited 
conversation,  which  became  an  intense  scold.  There 
would  be  an  occasional  lull,  but  they  would  commence 
again  with  increased  fury.  "We  expected  a  fight ;  but 
it  was  all  words,  and  the  less  interesting  because  wg 
could  not  understand  them.  My  traveling  friend  had 
a  severe  headache,  which  was  not  made  better  by  the 
noise  of  our  neighbors  ;  and  when  suffering  was  no 
longer  a  virtue,  he  jumped  convulsively  to  his  feet,  and 
poured  such  a  torrent  of  indignation  in  English  upon 
them  as  perfectly  astounded  them.  Napoleon  at  Ma- 
rengo made  no  more  bold  or  sudden  attack!  They 
looked  at  my  friend,  and,  after  exchanging  an  indig- 
nant glance  at  one  another,  the  war  ceased.  Not  an- 
other word  did  they  utter.  Soon  one  of  them  left  us  ; 
the  other  accompanied  us  to  Turin,  and  was  quite  at- 
tentive to  us  when  we  reached  the  station  there.  And 
when  in  our  subsequent  wanderings  we  met  with  any 
thing  unpleasant,  I  frequently  advised  my  friend  to  try 
the  virtue  of  a  bluster  in  English.  Judging  by  the 
effect  on  this  occasion,  our  language  must  possess  great 
energy  to  those  who  do  not  understand  it. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  171 

Turin.  Situation.  Collina. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

Turin. — Beautiful  for  Situation. — No  Antiquities. — Growing  rapidly, 
— Charles  Albert  deceived. — His  Death. — Room  in  the  Palace. — 
Spirit  of  the  present  King. — Opposed  by  the  Priests. — Legislature 
of  Turin. — Senate  and  House. — Our  Charge  at  Turin.— Santo  Su- 
dario. — Worship  with  the  Waldenses  :  their  Chapel. — A  Royal  Peo- 
ple :  their  Doctrines  and  Order. — Turin  a  strong  Point  from  which 
to  act  on  Italy. 

Turin  is  a  "beautiful  city,  the  most  grandly  situated 
of  any  inland  capital  in  Europe.  It  has  no  suburbs, 
and  you  enter  at  once  from  a  perfect  country  into  the 
streets  of  a  beautiful  city.  The  transition  seems  like 
magic.  Through  the  perspective  of  the  streets,  which 
are  wide,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  the  hills, 
the  mountains,  the  Alps,  which  surround  the  city,  are 
constantly  in  view.  There,  on  the  one  side,  is  Monte 
Cenis  and  Monte  Yiso,  clothed  in  perpetual  snow,  calm- 
ly looking  down  upon  you,  and  cooling  even  the  noon- 
day heat  by  their  cold  breath ;  and  on  the  other  flows 
the  classic  Po,  a  deep  and  rapid  river.  Beyond  the 
Po,  and  immediately  fronting  the  city,  rises  the  Collina, 
a  beautiful  range  of  hills  sloping  to  the  river,  and 
sparkling  with  beautiful  villas  to  its  very  summit.  At 
a  short  distance  from  the  city,  and  as  part  of  the  Col- 
lina, rises  Moncalieri,  which  is  surmounted  by  a  royal 
palace,  the  favorite  country  residence  of  the  present 
royal  family.  Indeed,  every  beauty  which  can  be  af- 
forded by  wood,  water,  mountain,  and  plain  ;  by  city 


172  MEN    AND     THINGS 

No  history.  Prosperity.  Charles  Albert. 

and  country  ;  by  a  most  luxuriant  vegetation  in  the 
presence  of  eternal  snows,  are  combined  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Turin  !  We  doubt  whether  it  is  equaled  by 
any  inland  city  of  the  world  for  beauty  of  situation. 

Turin,  unlike  Naples,  Rome,  and  Grenoa,  has  but 
few  historic  associations.  It  has  almost  no  antiques, 
classical  or  mediaeval,  so  frequently  has  it  been  rav- 
aged by  the  surrounding  powers,  which  have  so  fre- 
quently contended  for  it.  Now  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom  of  Sardinia,  almost  the  only  constitutional 
government  in  continental  Europe,  it  is  growing  almost 
with  the  rapidity  of  an  American  city.  The  perse- 
cuted Christians  and  patriots  of  Central  and  Southern 
Italy  flock  there  for  protection ;  and  as  they  bring 
with  them  property,  intelligence,  industry,  and  a  love 
of  liberty,  the  city  is  rapidly  rising.  New  streets  are 
making,  and  blocks  of  houses  are  there  rising,  as  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  The  appearance  of  every  thing 
around  you  makes  you  feel  that  you  have  passed  be- 
yond the  blasting,  crushing  influence  of  the  priest, 
and  that  you  are  among  a  people  strongly  imbued  with 
the  principles  of  liberty  and  Protestantism.  And  so 
you  are. 

The  recent  King  of  Sardinia,  Charles  Albert,  headed, 
in  1848  and  1849,  what  was  called  the  Italian  League, 
whose  object  was  to  combine  the  various  states  of  Italy 
into  an  Italian  empire.  Lombardy,  Naples  (and  per- 
haps the  States  of  the  Church),  entered  cordially  into 
the  League  ;  but  bloody  Austria  opposed,  and  declared 
war  against  it.  Lombardy  and  Naples  treacherously 
withheld  the  forces  promised,  and  Charles  Albert  was 
defeated.     He  resigned  his  throne  to  his  son  on  the 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  173 

His  room.  Noble  son.  Cenobites. 

field  of  battle,  and  retired  to  Spain,  where  he  died  of  a 
broken  heart.  And  there,  in  a  room  in  the  palace,  is 
the  bed  on  which  he  died,  and  the  furniture  of  the 
room  in  which  his  broken  heart  ceased  its  pulsations  ; 
and  but  few  moderate  American  farmers  would  con- 
sider the  bed  or  furniture  too  sumptuous  for  their  own 
sleeping  apartments.  The  son,  into  whose  hands  he 
surrendered  the  government,  now  reigns  in  Turin,  with 
more  than  the  feelings  of  his  father  glowing  in  his  soul. 
He  is  dead  against  Austria — is  the  friend  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty — maintains  the  Constitution  granted 
by  his  father  with  vigor — is  hated  by  the  old  despot- 
isms around  him,  whose  ministers  at  his  court  are 
spies  on  his  conduct ;  and  is  yet  destined  to  act  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  affairs  of  Italy.  So  resolute  is  he 
in  maintaining  his  position,  that  he  openly  declares 
that  the  power  which  prostrates  the  constitutional  lib- 
erty of  his  people  must  first  march  over  his  lifeless 
corpse.  Of  course,  this  is  wormwood  and  gall  to  the 
priests,  whose  instincts  are  all  for  despotism  and  dark- 
ness. They  have  opposed  in  every  way  the  progress 
of  free  institutions  in  Piedmont,  and,  as  a  reward  for 
their  opposition,  some  of  their  bishops  are  in  banish- 
ment, and  they  are  all  hated  at  home.  The  world  is 
rapidly  learning  that  the  great  object  and  aim  of  Popery 
is  to  maintain  the  power  and  dominion  of  the  priest. 
The  Romish  priesthood  is  a  corporation  of  cenobites, 
closely  compacted  and  bound  together  by  the  strong 
ties  of  self-interest,  whose  object  is  to  retain  and  main- 
tain, and  transmit  their  corporate  power  by  all  and  by 
any  means. 

The  Senate  and-  House  of  Deputies,  modeled  after 


174  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Parliament.  Its  members.  Sabbath  in  Turin. 

the  British  House  of  Lords  and  Commons,  were  in 
session  in  Turin.  This  is  the  only  legislative  body  in 
Italy  !  The  Senate  is  appointed  by  the  king  and  his 
ministers  ;  the  Delegates  are  elected  by  the  people. 
And  their  laws  are  laws.  With  cautious  but  steady 
progress,  they  are  reforming  old  abuses,  laying  aside 
old  feudal  institutions,  and  laying  a  deep  and  broad 
foundation  for  a  political  and  social  fabric  like  unto 
that  of  England.  There  is  a  strong  democratic  element 
in  the  House  of  Deputies,  whose  leaders  are  its  best 
orators.  Never  did  we  see  a  more  nobly-developed 
company  of  men  assembled,  or,  to  appearance,  more 
intelligent  or  gentlemanly,  than  the  Senate  of  Sardinia; 
and  the  House  of  Deputies  was  as  sedate  and  orderly, 
as  was  that  of  France,  as  I  have  already  described  it, 
disorderly  and  turbulent.  We  were  rejoiced  to  find 
that  at  such  a  formative  and  critical  period  in  its  his- 
tory our  government  was  there  represented  by  the  Hon- 
orable William  B.  Kinney,  a  gentleman  every  way  com- 
petent to  discharge  the  high  duties  of  his  mission.  We 
have  reason  to  know  that  he  is  in  high  favor  with  the 
court,  and  with  the  noble  men  who  are  seeking  to  for- 
tify the  free  institutions  of  their  country.  His  mission 
to  Turin  will  not  be  in  vain. 

We  spent  a  Sabbath  in  this  city  which  will  not 
soon  be  forgotten.  Drums  were  beating,  and  soldiers 
marching  in  all  directions  in  the  morning.  About  ten 
o'clock  we  went  to  the  Cathedral,  not  to  hear  or  see 
mass,  of  which  we  had  seen  and  heard  enough  for  a 
thousand  years,  nor  yet  so  much  to  see  the  royal  fam- 
ily, which  was  there,  as  to  visit  the  chapel  of  the  Santo 
Sudario,  the  priestly  glory  of  Turin.     But  what  is  the 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  175 

Santo  Sudario.  Its  history.  Waldensian  chapel. 

Santo  Sudario  ?  It  is  nothing  less  than  one  of  the 
three  folds  of  the  shroud  in  which  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
wrapped  the  body  of  Jesus  !  and  which  to  this  hour 
bears  the  impress  of  his  body  !  The  other  two  folds 
are  at  Rome  and  Besancon.  This  wonderfully  sacred 
relic  was  discovered  during  the  Crusades — was  first 
deposited  in  Chambery ;  but  was  sent  to  Turin  to  en- 
able St.  Borromeo  to  venerate  it  without  the  trouble 
of  crossing  the  Alps  !  It  seems  they  never  returned  it. 
And  there  is  its  magnificent  chapel  in  the  Duomo, 
where  the  old  rag  is  exhibited  for  the  veneration  of 
the  people  on  great  occasions  !  By  what  language  can 
we  sufficiently  stigmatize  the  base  conduct  of  a  priest- 
hood which  will  practice  such  outrageous  fraud  on  an 
ignorant  and  confiding  people  ! 

From  the  splendid  chapel  which  takes  its  name 
from  that  old  rag,  and  where  but  few  save  the  ragged 
were  present,  we  went  to  the  Waldensian  chapel,  of 
which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bert  is  pastor.  We  had  previously 
formed  an  acquaintance  at  the  table  of  our  charge 
with  this  excellent  and  interesting  man.  His  chapel 
is  built  in  the  centre  of  a  square  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  houses,  and  which  is  entered  by  a  large  gate- 
way. It  is  perfectly  plain,  externally  and  internally. 
The  pulpit  is  high,  with  a  sounding-board.  The  pews 
are  made  of  benches,  and  texts  of  Scripture  in  large 
letters  are  written  on  all  the  walls,  and  meet  the  eye 
wherever  it  turns.  0  how  strongly  this  contrasted 
with  the  images,  and  pictures,  and  the  Sudario  we  had 
just  left !  The  minister,  in  gown  and  bands,  entered 
the  pulpit,  read  the  Scriptures,  and  read  a  very  short 
form  of  prayer,  without  any  change  of  position,  which 


176  MEN     AND    THINGS 

The  service.  Royal  people.  Their  order. 

was  standing.  They  sung  chants  from  a  book  in  which 
the  words  and  music  were  printed  together,  accom- 
panied by  a  small  organ.  Save  in  the  reading  of  a 
form  of  prayer  at  the  opening,  the  entire  service  was 
conducted  as  in  our  Presbyterian  churches.  The  peo- 
ple seemed  mostly,  from  their  dress,  of  the  humbler 
class,  yet  they  seemed  intelligent  and  devout.  Their 
attention  was  marked  through  the  entire  service. 

And  are  these,  said  I,  at  the  close  of  the  service,  the 
descendants  of  the  Waldenses,  who  have  kept  the  lamp 
of  truth  burning  in  these  Alpine  valleys  from  the  re- 
motest ages  of  Christianity  ?  Are  these  simple  people 
the  children  of  the  Yaudois,  that  bribery  could  not  cor- 
rupt— that  war  could  not  exterminate — that  persecu- 
tion could  not  wean  from  the  faith  of  Christ — and  that, 
like  their  own  Alps,  have  withstood  the  storms  raised 
for  their  destruction  ?  Yes,  these  plain  rustic  people 
are  their  descendants  ;  and  I  felt  that  I  was  in  the 
presence  of  a  royal  race  !  What  a  green  oasis  amid 
the  desolate  Sahara  of  Popery  is  that  Waldensian 
church  at  Turin  !  Although  I  could  but  very  imper- 
fectly follow  in  the  worship  which  was  there  performed 
in  French,  yet  as  it  was  the  first  Protestant  service  I 
had  attended  for  weeks,  it  was  to  me  like  a  river  of 
water  in  the  wilderness,  like  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land  ! 

I  sought  from  Pastor  Bert  minute  information  as  to 
their  doctrine,  their  discipline,  and  their  present  state. 
In  doctrine  and  discipline  they  are  essentially  Presby- 
terian ;  maintaining  the  doctrines  of  grace,  infant  con- 
secration, the  parity  of  the  clergy,  and  government  by 
Church  courts.     And  at  no  period  of  their  recent  his- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  177 

Present  state.  The  field  open.  Strong  post. 

tory  have  they  been  as  flourishing  as  at  present.  On 
one  of  the  new  and  finest  streets  of  the  city  they  were 
making  arrangements  to  put  up  a  noble  edifice  for  the 
worship  of  Grod,  amid  the  most  dire  opposition  of  the 
priests.  Their  numbers  and  wealth  are  greatly  in- 
creased by  the  persecutions  of  Lombardy,  Rome,  and 
Naples  ;  and  with  a  full  liberty  of  worship  and  of 
preaching  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  they  have  an 
open  field,  and  are  seeking  to  cultivate  it.  Turin  is 
just  the  place  on  which  to  plant  our  lever  for  the  ele- 
vation and  regeneration  of  Italy.  It  is  an  Italian  city  ; 
there  full  religious  liberty  is  secured  ;  and  there  is  an 
ancient,  apostolical,  evangelical,  uncorrupted  Church, 
fully,  compactly,  strongly  organized,  and  cemented  by 
the  blood  of  martyrs  and  the  persecutions  of  ages.  Were 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  now  alive,  and  did  it  offer  the 
same  advantages  as  a  military  post  which  it  now  does 
as  a  religious,  he  would  send  fifty  thousand  men  across 
the  Alps  to  occupy  it. 

H2 


178 


MEN     AND     THINGS 


Departure.  The  Sabbath.  Fine  views. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

Departure  from  Turin. — Ascent  of  the  Alps. — Changes  in  Vegetation. 
— A  Stream  from  the  Clouds. — Going  down  the  Alps. — Our  Fel- 
low-travelers :  their  Testimony  as  to  Rome.  —  Chambery. — Les 
Charmettes. — Priests  abound. — Holy  Hill. — Praying  in  a  Hurry. — 
To  Geneva. — First  View. — Obvious  Difference. — Friends  in  a  far 
Country. 

We  took  our  departure  from  Turin  with  the  most 
pleasant  impressions  as  to  the  city,  the  government,  and 
the  people.  The  priests  were  fewer  than  we  had  met 
in  any  Italian  city,  which  may  partly  account  for  the 
fact  that  we  saw  no  beggars  there.  But  there  is  no 
Sabbath  there.  The  people  are  in  form  Papists  ;  some 
go  to  mass  in  the  morning — all  ride  or  stroll  about  in 
the  afternoon — and  all  places  of  amusement  are  open 
in  the  evening,  which  are  usually  thronged.  Such  is 
the  effect  of  Popery  every  where.  In  a  fine  coach  we 
were  soon  beyond  the  city  lines,  and  on  the  magnificent 
road  to  Chambery,  along  which  on  either  side  flowed 
a  little  streamlet  for  the  purposes  of  irrigation.  The 
city  was  behind  us — the  Superga,  a  church  crowning 
the  highest  point  of  the  Collina,  and  in  which  the  royal 
family  is  buried,  was  on  one  side  of  us ;  and  the  Alps, 
with  their  snow-clad  summits,  formed  a  crescent  be- 
fore us.  The  air  was  hot — the  valley  was  laden  with 
a  rich  harvest ;  the  hay  and  the  grain  was  every  where 
in  the  process  of  collection,  and  yet  the  snows  of  win- 
ter glittered  upon  all  the  mountains !     As  we  entered 


AS     SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  179 

Changes.  Ascent.  An  assault. 

the  gorges  of  the  Alps,  the  scenery  became  bold  and 
grand  beyond  description ;  the  air  became  cool,  then 
cold,  then  colder,  and  by  twelve  at  night  we  breathed 
the  air  of  December,  and  in  the  region  of  eternal  snows ! 
What  a  transition  in  the  brief  space  of  about  six  hours ! 
We  ascended  the  steep  mountains,  over  which,  when 
viewed  from  below,  it  would  seem  impossible  for  a 
bird  to  fly,  by  a  cork-screw  road  of  astonishing  forma- 
tion, up  which  the  horses  trotted  all  the  way  !  We 
passed  from  a  mid-summer  to  a  mid-winter  climate, 
witnessing  the  corresponding  changes  of  vegetation  all 
the  way.  On  the  plains  of  the  Po  they  were  collecting 
a  rich  harvest.  Soon  we  saw  the  grain  in  the  green 
ear — soon  in  the  blade,  and  higher  up  the  farmer  was 
planting.  Soon  the  grape  gave  way  to  the  pine  of 
stunted  growth,  and  soon  every  thing  gave  way  to  the 
barren  rock  and  to  eternal  snow.  The  moon  was  full 
and  cloudless,  and  so  brilliant  was  its  shining,  that 
through  all  the  watches  of  the  night  we  could  see 

"  Hills  o'er  hills,  and  Alps  o'er  Alps  arise." 
As  we  turned  a  certain  curve  in  the  road  there  towered 
a  hill,  at  least  a  thousand  feet  above  us,  and  from  its 
very  summit  there  came  dashing  a  stream  of  water, 
which  floated  in  the  air  like  a  ribbon  for  a  little  space, 
then  was  lost  to  the  eye  in  mist  or  spray,  then,  touch- 
ing a  projecting  part  of  the  rock,  it  condensed  again 
into  a  stream,  and  came  foaming  across  our  way !  My 
friend  was  sleeping  by  my  side.  When  this  sight  sud- 
denly opened  on  us,  I  gave  him  a  rouser  with  my  el- 
bow. He  seemed  not  to  relish  the  interruption  of  his 
repose  ;  but  when  I  pointed  him  to  the  cause  of  my 
sudden  assault  upon  his  ribs,  with  a  most  emphatic 


180  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Descent  of  the  Alps.  Lady  travelers.  Anecdotes. 

exclamation,  "  See  there!"  he  was  satisfied.  I  can  as- 
sure my  readers  that  I  slept  not  a  moment  on  the  night 
we  crossed  Mount  Cenis. 

As  the  day  began  to  dawn,  which  must  have  been 
about  three  o'clock,  we  passed  the  summit  level,  and 
commenced  descending  from  our  eagle  height.  As 
there  was  a  strong  opposition  on  the  road,  the  driving 
was  furious ;  and  we  thundered  down  the  Alps  with 
astonishing  rapidity.  Soon  we  reached  the  culture  of 
April — soon  the  verdure  of  May  and  June ;  soon  we 
saw  the  vine  covering  all  the  hills — soon  we  came  to 
harvest-fields,  such  as  we  had  left  on  the  Po;  and 
when  we  drove  into  the  streets  of  Chambery  amid 
branches  of  green  trees  scattered  over  the  streets,  and 
adorning  all  the  houses,  marking  a  fete-day  of  Popery, 
the  thermometer  was  again  at  85°. 

In  this  ride  across  the  Alps,  we  had  as  our  compan- 
ions a  Prussian  countess  and  her  maid  of  honor,  both 
remarkably  intelligent,  and  on  their  return  from  quite 
a  sojourn  in  Rome.  They  were  frank  and  communi- 
cative, and  told  us  many  things  to  illustrate  the  piety 
and  purity  of  Romish  priests.  A  few  days  after  they 
entered  Rome  they  were  visited  by  a  priest,  who  begged 
from  them  five  scudi  to  assist  a  very  afflicted  family ! 
He  w7as  a  padre  notorious  for  thus  sustaining  himself 
and  his  indolent  brethren  by  collecting  money  under 
false  pretenses.  And  yet  he  was  not  unfrocked !  They 
also  told  of  the  daughter  of  a  most  tyrannical  father, 
who  wrote  a  letter  to  one  of  the  cardinals  that  she 
could  not  endure  longer  the  conduct  of  her  parent,  and 
stating  her  strong  desire  to  enter  a  nunnery.  In  a  few 
days  the  father  died  by  poison,     The  daughter  and  a 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  181 

Priestly  villainy.  ChambGry.  Rousseau. 

brother  were  arrested  on  suspicion ;  the  letter  was  given 
in  testimony  against  them,  and  they  were  found  guilty 
of  patricide  ;  and  the  vast  property  of  the  father  re- 
verted to  the  priests !  And  it  was  the  current  belief 
that  the  priests  poisoned  the  father !  They  also  nar- 
rated a  long  story  of  a  widow  lady  with  whom  they 
were  on  familiar  intercourse.  On  the  death  of  her 
husband,  she  repaired  to  Rome  to  enjoy  the  opportuni- 
ties of  devotion  and  seclusion  which,  she  thought,  it  pre- 
sented ;  but  was  soon  compelled  to  retire  from  it  be- 
cause of  the  shameful  conduct  of  her  father  confessor. 
Unless  all  testimony  of  natives  and  sojourners  is  utterly 
false,  the  priests  of  Rome  are  sinners  above  all  men  that 
live  on  the  earth. 

Chambery  is  the  capital  of  Savoy,  and  although 
pleasant  for  situation,  is  a  town  of  mean  appearance. 
It  has  one  good  street,  but  the  rest  are  dark,  dirty, 
narrow,  and  sombre.  Near  this  place,  and  on  a  pleas- 
ant hill  commanding  a  fine  view,  is  the  country  house 
of  "  Les  Charmettes,"  once  the  residence  of  Madame 
de  "Warens  and  Rousseau.  But  as  the  day  was  hot, 
and  as  my  dislike  for  the  man  almost  borders  on  detes- 
tation, I  declined  a  pilgrimage  to  his  residence.  Al- 
though containing  but  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants, 
Chambery  has  fourteen  convents,  a  Jesuit  college,  and 
priests  and  nuns  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  number  of 
the  people.  Hence  the  dilapidated  appearance  of  the 
place  and  the  beggarly  appearance  of  the  people.  "Why 
is  it  that  priests  and  beggars  go  together?  On  an 
eminence  near  the  town  is  a  building  containing  a 
dead  Christ,  and  on  the  pleasant  way  ascending  to  it 
are  several  little  shrines,  each  containing  a  picture  of 


182  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Indulgences.  A  padre  at  vespers.  An  inference. 

some  scene  in  the  suffering  of  Christ ;  and  to  all  pray- 
ing at  these  shrines  and  worshiping  the  picture  in  the 
building  which  surmounts  the  hill,  the  same  indul- 
gences are  promised  which  are  granted  to  those  who 
visit  the  holy  shrines  at  Jerusalem !  And  poor  people 
in  dozens  are  seen  daily  piously  ascending  the  hill 
to  earn  indulgences,  and  going  cheerfully  down  it  to 
revelry  and  indulgence !  I  stood  for  some  time  before 
one  of  the  convents  to  gaze  upon  the  padres  as  they 
passed  in  and  out.  The  day  was  warm,  and  the  win- 
dows were  up.  I  was  especially  struck  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  good-looking  man  wearing  a  priest's  cap 
and  robe,  who  with  quick  step  walked  up  and  down 
an  entry,  reading  his  missal  with  railway  speed.  I 
could  hear  his  voice,  and,  when  he  came  to  the  window, 
could  see  his  lips  move.  I  never  saw  a  man  in  such  a 
hurry  to  get  through  his  vespers.  As  it  was  about  six 
in  the  evening,  it  was  these  he  must  have  been  repeat- 
ing. And  although  in  such  a  pressing  hurry  to  end 
the  formulary,  he  would  stop  and  measure  us  with  his 
black  eye,  but  ceased  not  the  utterance  of  his  pater 
nosters.  He  seemed  in  as  much  hurry  as  if  he  had 
earned  an  indulgence,  and  desired  to  be  away  to  prac- 
tice it.  Unless  his  eye  and  Burgundy  face  bore  false 
witness  against  him,  he  could  sin  and  pray  with  equal 
rapidity. 

We  spent  a  night  in  Chambery,  and  were  off  for 
Greneva  in  the  morning,  accompanied  by  our  Prussian 
countess,  between  whom  and  one  of  our  party  there 
sprung  up  quite  a  social  and  agreeable  intercourse. 
We  passed  a  finely  cultivated  valley  to  Aix-la-Bains,  a 
celebrated  bathing   establishment.     Thence  we   pro- 


SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  183 


To  Geneva.  First  view.  The  transition. 

ceeded  through  Anneoy,  where  lie  the  holy  relics  of 
St.  Francis  de  Sales,  to  Geneva.  The  whole  ride  is  a 
very  fine  one,  through  a  very  highly  cultivated  country, 
and  rich  in  historical  reminiscences.  From  Chambery 
to  Geneva  you  are  at  no  time  out  of  sight  of  the  snowy 
Alps.  About  four  P.  M.  we  reached  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  whence  we  had  the  first  view  of  the  lake,  and  of 
the  city  of  Greneva.  The  sun  shone  brightly,  the  air 
was  clear,  and  they  lay  in  loveliness  beneath  us.  Soon 
we  passed  the  line  which  separates  the  kingdom  of 
Sardinia  and  the  canton  of  Greneva — a  Papal  and  Prot- 
estant state — and  were  in  Switzerland  proper.  The 
change  in  the  appearance  of  the  people  was  instanta- 
neous. The  moment  you  pass  the  gate  you  feel  that 
you  are  in  a  Protestant  country.  You  leave  the  beg- 
gars on  one  side  of  it  ;  you  meet  a  well-clad,  industri- 
ous, and  self-sustaining  people  on  the  other.  Villas, 
increasing  in  sumptuousness  and  beauty,  multiplied  as 
we  approached  the  city.  Soon  we  entered  its  walls — 
for  even  Greneva  is  strongly  fortified — and  were  rolled 
through  clean  streets  filled  with  an  active,  industrious 
people,  to  the  Hotel  de  la  Couronne,  which  is  upon  the 
lake,  and  overlooks  its  beautiful  waters.  "We  were 
now  out  of  Italy,  where  reigns  the  very  midnight  of 
Popery,  and  in  a  free  Protestant  city,  for  centuries  the 
bulwark  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  sacred  to 
multitudes  in  all  the  earth,  because  of  its  association 
with  the  great  Calvin,  who  was  to  the  Reformers  what 
Paul  was  to  the  Apostles,  the  most  intellectual,  and 
best  educated  of  them  all.  Here  we  soon  were  in  the 
embraces  of  dear  Christian  friends  and  acquaintances, 
from  some  of  whom  we  separated  in  London,  from 


184  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Meeting  at  Geneva. 

others  in  Paris,  and  some  of  whom,  on  their  return 
from  the  East,  we  first  met  here,  making  a  most  in- 
telligent and  agreeable  American  party.  And  it  was 
pleasant  to  talk  and  laugh  again  in  English,  and  in 
our  own  mother  tongue  to  tell  of  our  travels  and  ad- 
ventures. "We  began  again  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a 
home  feeling. 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  185 


Streets.  Mont  Blanc  on  a  table 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

Geneva:  its  Attractions. — Miniature  of  Mont  Blanc.  —  Missionary 
Anniversary. — The  Oratoire. — A  Drive  up  the  Lake. — Ferney. — 
Voltaire. — Magnificent  View.  —  A  Soiree. — Dr.  Malan. — D'Au- 
bigne. — Gaussen. — La  Harpe. — St.  George. — Talk  through  an  In- 
terpreter.— Polite  Interchange.— Love-feasts. 

GJ-eneva  has  been  many  times  described  by  travelers. 
Its  great  history  and  enchanting  locality  are  sufficient  to 
inspire  dullness  itself  to  try  its  hand  at  painting.  It  is  on 
the  southwest  extremity  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  where 
the  Rhone  shoots  out  from  the  lake,  dividing  the  city 
into  two  parts.  These  parts  are  united  by  bridges,  so 
constructed  as  to  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the 
scene.  The  town  is  chiefly  built  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river,  and  rises  gradually  from  the  banks  of  the 
lake  and  river,  so  as  to  present  a  most  beautiful  ap- 
pearance from  the  water.  The  streets  are  mostly  nar- 
row, and  often  very  steep,  and  in  the  more  elevated 
parts  of  the  city  there  are  many  very  fine  residences. 
But  the  great  attractions  of  the  place  lie  in  its  history, 
and  in  its  extended  and  beautiful  environs. 

Our  first  day  in  the  city  of  Calvin  was  a  very  busy 
one,  and  was  spent  in  a  very  miscellaneous  way.  A 
model  of  Mont  Blanc  was  placarded  all  over  the  city 
for  exhibition !  We  went  to  see  it — like  fools.  We 
might  as  well  have  gone  to  see  a  cup  of  salt  water  as 
a  specimen  of  the  ocean  !  There  Mont  Blanc  lay 
upon  a  table,  and  we  could  have  secured  a  cabinet 


186  MEN     AND    THINGS 


Oratoire.  Anniversary.  Enchanting  view. 

edition  to  carry  to  America !     Thence  we  went  to  the 
Oratoire,  the  church  where  the  theological  professors, 
D'Aubigne,  Graussen,  La  Harpe,  and  others  worship,  to 
attend  the  anniversary  of  the  Society  for  Missions.    We 
saw  there  most  of  the  evangelical  pastors  of  the  city 
and   vicinity.      Every  thing  was   simple  —  ministers 
without  gowns — extempore  prayer — singing  without 
instrumental  music  —  pews  like  the  seats  in  our  lec- 
ture-rooms —  and    a  pulpit  with  a  small   sounding- 
board.     The  church  is  on  one  of  the  highest  points  of 
the  city — difficult  of  access  to  strangers  who  crowd  the 
hotels  on  the  lake,  and  in  a  position  which  would  not 
attract  a  New  York  audience,  which  considers  a  fine 
church,  on  a  fine  street,  and  easy  of  access,  as  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  acceptable  worship.     At  about  six 
in  the  afternoon  we  crossed  the  bridge  under  which 
the  "  arrowy  Rhone,"  here  of  indigo  color,  shoots  from 
the  lake,  and  drove  up  its  bank  in  the  direction  of 
Ferney.     Ever  since  the  perusal  of  Macaulay's  review 
of  Frederick  the  Great,  I  have  held  Yoltaire  in  the 
most  sovereign  contempt,  and  would  not  go  a  rod  to 
visit  his  residence,  which  I  saw  in  the  distance.    I  gave 
my  reasons  to  my  companions,  which  were  deemed  sat- 
isfactory.    We  ascended  a  hill  to  witness  the  effect  of 
the  setting  sun  upon  the  surrounding  scenery.     The 
Jura  range  was  on  the  west,  over  which  a  bright  and 
cloudless  sun  hung  suspended.     Lake  Lehman  lay  in 
beauty  beneath  us  ;  on  its  opposite  banks  were  villas 
and  vineyards  rising  one  above  another  in  beautiful 
perspective  ;  and  skirting  the  distant  horizon  rose  the 
fleecy  Mont  Blanc,  piercing  the  heavens  with  its  sharp 
and  broken  points.    Although  fifty  miles  in  the  distance, 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  187 

Sunset.  Soir6e.  Dr.  Malan.  Dr.  Merle  d'Aubignfi. 

it  seemed  as  just  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  !  As 
the  sun  declined,  a  blush  appeared  upon  its  pale,  cold 
visage — that  blush  deepened  every  moment ;  and  when 
the  sun  fell  behind  the  Jura,  the  whole  snowy  range 
of  Mont  Blanc  seemed  in  a  blaze  of  fire.  As  the 
twilight  came  along,  bringing  night  in  its  train,  those 
distant  fires  died  away  as  gradually  as  they  were  kin- 
dled, and  "  the  monarch  of  mountains"  looked  down 
upon  us  as  coldly  as  ever.  No  such  magnificent  view 
do  I  ever  expect  to  take  again.  Our  guide  informed 
us  that  there  are  not  ten  days  in  the  year  on  which 
the  sight  is  seen  to  such  perfection  as  we  saw  it.  The 
effect  upon  us  all  was  enchanting.  We  would  say  to 
every  traveler,  if  necessary,  wait  a  month  at  Greneva 
to  see  this  sight. 

We  returned  from  this  scene  to  one  of  a  very  differ- 
ent character,  but  yet  equally  gratifying  to  our  feelings 
and  tastes — a  soiree,  got  up  by  the  Missionary  Society 
whose  anniversary  we  attended  in  the  afternoon.  It 
was  held  in  a  hall  provided  for  the  purpose,  and  was 
fully  attended.  There  was  Dr.  Malan,  thin,  of  medium 
height,  brisk  in  appearance,  frank,  and  social,  with 
hair  white  as  Alpine  snows  flowing  over  his  shoulders. 
And  there  was  Dr.  Merle  d'Aubigne,  large  and  full  in 
stature,  with  heavy  countenance,  reserved,  rather  pat- 
ronizing in  his  air,  more  English  than  French  in  his 
whole  appearance,  and  seemingly  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  he  is  rather  a  lion  than  otherwise.  And 
there  was  Professor  Graussen,  of  middle  stature,  full 
habit,  pleasant  manners,  silver  gray,  with  a  round 
French  face.  And  there  was  Professor  La  Harpe, 
youthful,  manly  in  all  his  developments,  with  a  plump 


188  MEN     AND    THINGS 

La  Harpe.  St.  George.  Speech-making. 

red  and  white  cheek,  more  suggestive  of  "  the  sweetest 
isle  of  the  ocean"  than  of  the  loveliest  lake  in  the  world. 
And  there  was  Count  de  Saint  George,  tall,  thin, 
youthful  in  appearance,  bland  in  his  manners,  with 
rather  a  wealthy  and  aristocratic  air,  but  by  no  means 
up  to  the  offensive  point.  These  were  among  the  nota- 
bles present.  Ladies  were  there,  ministering  spirits, 
in  large  numbers.  After  the  process  of  serving  tea 
was  ended,  a  psalm  was  sung  with  much  spirit,  the 
Scriptures  were  read,  and  prayer  was  offered,  during 
which  all  stood.  The  plan  was  to  have  a  brief  ad- 
dress from  some  one  from  each  of  the  countries  there 
represented  ;  and  when  the  Americans  were  called  on, 
they  were  so  kind,  or  unkind,  as  to  send  me  forth  as 
their  representative.  I  made  a  talk  for  about  ten 
minutes,  and  was  interpreted  by  a  gentleman  of  the 
company — the  first  time  I  ever  spoke  to  an  assembly 
through  an  interpreter,  nor  shall  I  be  sorry  should  it 
be  my  last.  Although  I  knew  not  what  I  had  said 
when  I  sat  down,  I  was  soon  brought  to  my  feet  again 
by  an  address  from  the  chair,  thanking  me  in  behalf 
of  the  meeting  for  my  interesting  and  eloquent  address 
on  the  occasion.  Half  suspecting  that  it  might  be  a 
bit  of  French  politeness,  which  sometimes  induces  to 
put  the  more  abundant  honor  on  the  part  that  lacketh, 
I  utterly  declined  to  accept  of  their  thanks  on  the 
grounds  on  which  they  were  offered,  stating  that  if 
any  thing  eloquent  or  worthy  of  their  attention  was 
uttered,  it  was  interlarded  by  my  interpreter,  and  that 
I  would  therefore  hand  over  the  thanks  to  him.  If 
making  fun  at  my  expense,  I  determined  that  they 
should  not  have  it  all  to  themselves. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  189 

Committee  of  the  Whole.  Breakfaats.  Love-feasts. 

Soon  after  this  passage  at  small  arms  the  assembly 
dissolved  itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole,  when 
we  were  introduced  to  gentlemen  and  ladies  from  the 
different  cantons  of  Switzerland,  from  Germany, 
France,  Italy,  and  Britain.  Captain  Packenham,  the 
true-hearted  Christian,  exiled  from  Rome,  where  he 
was  once  a  banker  for  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures, 
was  there,  and  gave  a  most  interesting  account  of  the 
good  work  of  reformation  in  progress  in  Florence.  On 
the  whole,  I  was  greatly  gratified  with  this  evening's 
entertainment.  It  was  pleasant,  social,  cheerful,  and 
yet  pervaded  by  a  truly  religious  spirit.  They  have  a 
way  of  doing  things  in  this  manner  in  Britain,  and  here 
and  there  on  the  Continent,  which  might  be  introduced 
into  our  own  country  with  happy  effect.  Their  "break- 
fasts" in  London,  Edinburgh,  Belfast,  and  Dublin 
accomplish  much  good.  Meeting  at  a  tea-table  for  an 
hour  before  a  religious  anniversary,  where  the  speakers 
are  introduced,  compare  notes,  imbibe  each  other's 
spirit,  so  as  to  go  out  on  the  platform  with  a  common 
feeling,  and  an  acquaintance  formed  at  a  social  repast, 
would  relieve  the  dullness  of  many  a  May  meeting  in 
New  York,  and  would  greatly  tend  to  cement  Chris- 
tians of  various  names  together.  These  are  "  love- 
feasts"  that  might  be  safely  and  profitably  introduced 
among  us.  The  tea-drinking  in  a  room  in  Exeter 
Hall,  which  preceded  the  meeting  of  the  London  Tract 
Society,  where  noble  men  representing  the  different 
branches  of  the  Church  spent  an  hour  in  pleasant 
social  intercourse,  I  will  never  forget — as  I  can  never 
forget  the  soiree  in  Geneva. 

We  returned  to  our  lodgings  at  about  eleven  o'clock 


190  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Author  of  History  of  the  Reformation. 

in  the  evening,  greatly  gratified  with  our  first  day- 
spent  in  Greneva.  "We  all  regretted  that  D'Aubigne 
did  not  sustain  the  impressions  made  on  us  by  his  no- 
ble History  of  the  Reformation.  If  we  act  toward 
him,  when  he  visits  America,  as  he  did  toward  the 
company  of  American  clergy  at  that  soiree,  he  will 
write  us  down  as  boors.  He  is  getting  up  some  fame 
for  his  incivilities,  especially  toward  Americans.  His 
History  of  the  Reformation  has  given  him  a  wide  repu- 
tation, and,  to  save  himself  from  the  annoyances  which 
are  the  tax  of  fame,  he  should  not  turn  clown. 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  191 

For  Chamouny.  Change.  Bonneville. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

For  Chamouny. — Enter  Sardinia. — Obvious  Change. — Fete  at  Bonne- 
ville.—  The  Ravine.  —  Fall  d'Arpenaz. —  Bridge  at  St.  Martin's: 
its  View. —  Selling  Echoes. —  Ascent  of  Montanvert. —  Mer  de 
Glace. — Cracks  in  the  Ice. — View  from  the  Cottage. — Snow-ball- 
ing.— Salanche. — Return  to  Geneva. 

After  an  early  "breakfast  we  started,  nine  strong, 
and  all  from  America,  for  Chamouny,  a  word  which, 
however  spelled,  means  always  the  same  place.  The 
world  has  hut  one  Chamouny.  In  two  carriages  we 
soon  passed  the  gates  of  the  city,  rode  rapidly  through 
the  pleasant  environs  "beyond,  and  at  the  distance  of  a 
few  miles  crossed  a  little  stream  which  separates  Ge- 
neva from  Sardinia — an  ancient  Protestant  republic 
from  an  ancient  Papal  kingdom.  The  change  in  the 
people  was  again  observable,  as  when  we  entered  Gre- 
neva  from  Sardinia.  Soon  we  were  met  by  beggars  in 
all  stages  of  rags  and  mutilation,  and  only  got  rid  of 
them  on  our  return  to  the  city  of  Calvin.  The  day 
was  balmy  and  cloudless.  "We  observed  by  the  idle- 
ness of  the  people — their  standing  in  groups  here  and 
there — and  by  the  branches  of  trees  standing  against 
houses,  and  suspended  from  windows — that  something 
was  going  on.  As  we  approached  Bonneville,  the 
road  was-  thick  with  people  crowding  to  the  old  town. 
It  was  a  fete  day  of  Popery,  but  in  honor  of  what  god 
or  goddess  I  could  not  learn.  We  stopped  to  dine,  and 
to  witness   the   gay  and  utterly  ridiculous  pageant 


192 


MEN     AND     THINGS 


A  procession.  Manoeuvres.  Faith  in  God. 

At  the  ringing  of  a  bell  a  procession  commenced  mov- 
ing from  the  village  church.  It  was  headed  by  women 
in  white  robes.  These  were  followed  by  children, 
neatly  dressed,  bearing  baskets  of  rose-leaves ;  these 
by  children  bearing  censers  ;  these  by  priests  fat  and 
well-fed  ;  these  by  a  large,  ruby-faced  bishop,  bearing 
the  host  under  a  splendid  canopy  :  behind  the  canopy 
marched  the  civil  officers  of  the  place,  who  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  vast  concourse  of  people.  It  was  now  mid- 
day, and  the  sun  was  hot,  and  the  road  very  dusty. 
At  certain  signs  the  whole  mass  of  the  people  knelt  in 
the  dust — rose  again — turned  to  the  right  or  left — 
halted  or  marched.  The  master  of  ceremonies  sounded 
a  whistle,  and  the  boys  scattered  leaves  for  the  priests 
and  bishop  to  walk  on,  or  they  turned  round  and  of- 
fered incense  to  the  bishop  and  host.  The  soldiers 
were  present  in  great  numbers,  and  in  full  uniform, 
and  saluted  the  host  with  volleys  of  musketry  as  it 
approached.  And  when  the  bishop  stopped,  as  he  fre- 
quently did,  and  turned  round  the  host  so  as  to  face 
the  soldiers,  they  all  fell  instantly  on  their  knees,  save 
the  officers,  who  leaned  on  their  swords  with  their  faces 
to  the  earth.  After  parading  the  streets  in  this  way 
for  some  time,  the  bishop  and  priests  returned  to  the 
church,  and  the  people  and  soldiers  went  to  drink  and 
to  play.  "When  the  exhibition  was  over  the  streets 
were  full  of  revelry.  And  with  such  mountebank  ex- 
hibitions as  these,  gotten  up  by  the  priests  to  delude 
the  people,  the  Papal  world  is  full.  And  belief  in  this, 
and  all  its  kindred  nonsense,  is  what  the  priests  call 
faith  in  God  ! 

Thoroughly  disgusted  with  this  priestly  ceremony, 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  193 

Ravine.  D'Arpenaz.  View  from  a  bridge. 

we  resumed  our  journey,  and  after  crossing  the  Arve 
several  times  on  noble  bridges,  and  passing  through 
some  towns  of  but  little  note,  we  entered  a  defile  be- 
neath towering,  and  often  overhanging  precipices, 
which  mark  the  first  grand  entrance  into  the  great 
Alpine  ravine.  And  now  our  road  lay  on  the  banks 
of  the  Arve,  which  flows  between  mountains  often 
8000  feet  high,  and  sometimes  rising  from  either  bank 
like  walls  !  Soon  the  waterfall  D'Arpenaz,  the  high- 
est in  Savoy,  rose  to  view,  which,  like  that  seen  crossing 
Mont  Cenis  from  Turin,  leaps  out  from  the  very  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain,  is  broken  into  spray  and  lost  to 
the  sight ;  condenses  on  the  rocks  below,  and  rushes 
under  a  bridge  into  the  Arve.  It  forms  an  object  of 
great  beauty.  Beyond  this  jeu  d'eau,  the  valley  wid- 
ens, and  rich  fields  spread  up  the  sides  of  the  snow- 
capped mountains  to  Salanche.  Here  is  a  bridge  cross- 
ing the  Arve,  on  one  side  of  which  is  the  dirty  town  of 
St.  Martin,  and  on  the  other  the  not  very  magnificent 
one  of  Salanche  ;  and  from  that  bridge  we  caught  our 
first  near  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  the  one  that  most 
deeply  impressed  us.  In  looking  up  the  valley,  beyond 
the  wintery  bed  of  the  Arve,  rises  the  mountain  of  For- 
claz,  its  sides  clothed  with  pine,  and  its  summit  with 
pasturage.  Above  that  rises  the  Aiguille  de  Groute, 
and  the  Dome  de  Goute,  white  as  can  be.  And  yet 
beyond  and  above  these,  Mont  Blanc  towers  to  the 
clouds,  presenting  a  sight  worth  a  voyage  round  the 
world  to  see  !  It  is  here  every  feeling  of  your  soul  re- 
sponds to  the  glorious  description  of  the  poet : 

"  Mont  Blanc  is  the  monarch  of  mountains ; 
They  crown'd  him  long  ago, 
I 


194  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Our  journey.  Making  echoes.  Boys  beaten. 

On  a  throne  of  rocks,  in  a  robe  of  clouds, 
With  a  diadem  of  snow." 

"What  a  pity  Coleridge  did  not  date  his  immortal  hymn 
at  this  bridge,  instead  of  in  the  vale  of  Chamouny, 
where  the  "  monarch"  is  entirely  hid  from  view  ! 

Here  we  left  our  carriages  for  that  vehicle  peculiar  to 
this  mountain  country,  called  char-a-banc,  in  which 
we  pursued  our  course  to  the  vale  along  a  gorge  won- 
drous all  the  way.  "We  never  left  the  sound  of  the 
dashing  Arve,  nor  the  sight  of  snow  and  rich  verdure  ! 
At  a  turn  in  the  road  where  a  high  bridge  is  crossed, 
and  where  all  travelers  have  to  work  their  passage  up 
a  very  steep  hill,  we  were  surrounded  by  boys  who 
wished  to  sell  us  some  echoes.  One  would  shoot  a 
gun,  and  you  would  hear  it  cracking  off  many  times 
among  the  hills.  Another  would  sound  his  horn,  and 
the  mountains  promptly  and  repeatedly  replied.  And 
then,  hat  or  cap  in  hand,  they  would  most  resolutely 
importune  you.  Not  knowing  how  to  get  rid  of  them, 
and  not  willing  to  encourage  vagrants,  against  whom 
guide-books  and  travelers  warn  you,  I  ascended  a  hill, 
and  after  a  full  inflating  of  my  lungs,  let  go  a  shout 
which  woke  up  all  the  mountains.  The  boys  stood 
aghast,  and  pushing  my  advantage,  I  took  off  my  hat 
and  commenced  begging  them  in  turn  !  They  were 
completely  routed,  and  followed  us  no  farther.  They 
found  I  could  make  my  own  echoes,  and  had  no  need 
to  buy  any.  We  reached  the  vale  before  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  shivering  with  cold,  although,  judging  from 
our  feelings,  the  thermometer  must  have  been  85°  dur- 
ing the  afternoon. 

We  made  all  our  preparations  for  an  early  ascent  of 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  195 

A  resolve.  Mer  de  Glace.  An  incident. 

Montanvert.  We  arranged  as  to  our  mules  and  guides 
on  our  arrival,  and  as  the  former  were  rather  scarce, 
myself  and  a  friend  agreed  to  take  one  between  us. 
This  I  liked  very  well  when  it  was  my  turn  to  ride  ; 
but  when  I  had  to  walk,  I  resolved  most  firmly  to  have 
a  mule  to  myself  the  next  time  I  went  up  that  steep 
path.  Through  all  kinds  of  paths  but  pleasant  ones — 
picking  our  way  amid  rocks  and  stones — now  crossing 
the  pathway  of  the  avalanche — now  threading  a  cork- 
screw path  up  a  steep  spot — now  sheltered  by  pines — 
now  passing  through  a  pasturage  of  sheep,  and  now 
passing  through  snow-banks  rising  six  feet  high  on 
either  hand,  we  finally  gained  the  cottage  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain.  It  was  wonderful  to  see  the 
dexterity  and  unerring  accuracy  of  the  mules  through 
every  step  of  the  way.  Not  once  did  they  stumble  or 
tread  upon  a  loose  stone.  We  descended  on  the  other 
side  of  the  cottage  to  the  far-famed  "  Mer  de  Grlace." 
This  is  a  ravine  winding  among  the  mountains  for 
many  leagues,  and  filled  with  ice  at  some  points  three 
hundred  feet  thick  !  We  crossed  this  enormous  sea  of 
ice  nearly  to  the  opposite  mountain  ;  we  kneeled  by  its 
enormous  cracks  and  looked  down  through  them  into 
the  profound  depths,  and  could  hear  the  glacier  torrent 
battling  its  way  at  the  bottom.  A  man  once  fell  into 
one  of  these  cracks,  whose  body  no  effort  could  recover. 
Many  years  afterward,  as  we  were  told  by  the  guides,  a 
boy  fell  into  the  same  crack,  and  in  fishing  for  the  boy 
they  drew  up  the  man,  and  so  undecayed  that  his 
friends  could  recognize  him  !  His  body  was  so  frozen 
as  to  prevent  the  process  of  corruption.  The  view  from 
Montanvert   is   wild   and   grand  beyond  description. 


196  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Views  at  Montanvert.  Snow-balling. 

Beneath  is  the  vale  of  Chamouny,  reposing  in  beauty, 
be}Tond  which  rises  the  Flegere,  robed  in  white  ;  on  the 
other  side  of  you  lies  the  Mer  de  Glace,  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world  ;  and  beyond  and  around  it  rise 
those  Alpine  needles  called  Aiguille  du  Dm,  Aiguille 
du  Moine,  and  the  Aiguille  Yert,  which  is  13,00&  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ocean,  and  which  stretches  up 
before  you  toward  the  stars  7000  feet  from  the  place 
where  you  are  standing.  Behind  those  needles,  and 
concealed  by  them  from  our  view,  Mont  Blanc  reposed 
in  serene  majesty,  lifting  its  sky-pointing  peaks  nearer 
than  any  of  them  toward  the  throne  of  its  glorious 
Creator. 

It  was  enough.  After  feasting  our  eyes  upon  the 
wild  grandeur  by  which  we  were  surrounded,  we  com- 
menced our  descent,  partly  on  foot,  partly  on  our  mules. 
And  that  we  might  be  enabled  to  tell  of  it  to  our  friends, 
myself  and  two  ladies  had  a  regular  snow-balling  on 
the  21st  day  of  June,  on  our  return  to  the  vale  below. 

We  returned  to  Salanche  in  the  evening,  where, 
with  Mont  Blanc  in  full  view  from  our  window,  and 
surrounded  with  other  peaks  clothed  in  snow,  we 
spent  a  pleasant  night.  After  an  early  breakfast,  we 
resumed  our  carriages  on  our  return  to  Geneva,  feeling 
that  we  had  seen  sights  which,  beyond  any  that  we 
had  ever  seen,  display  the  greatness,  the  glory,  the 
omnipotence  of  Jehovah. 


AS     SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  197 

Geneva.  Calvin.  His  character. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

Geneva:  its  Influence. — Calvin:  his  System. — Knox. — Sunday  in 
Geneva.— The  Market-place.— St.  Peter's.— Gaussen  in  the  Ora- 
toire.— Cathedral  Services.— Dr.  Malan's  Chapel.— An  Evening 
with  his  Family.— Sabbath  Desecration.— Importance  of  rightly 
sanctifying  the  Sabbath.— To  whom  we  owe  its  true  Keeping. 

"We  returned  from  Mont  Blanc  for  the  purpose  of 
spending  a  Sabbath  in  the  city  of  Calvin,  and  of  seeing 
more  of  its  sights.  Small  as  is  the  town,  and  secluded 
as  it  is  between  the  Jura  and  the  Alps,  its  political  in- 
fluence upon  Europe,  and  its  religious  influence  upon 
the  world,  have  been  vast.  Right  or  wrong,  John  Cal- 
vin, who  found  here  a  home  and  a  grave,  was  a  great 
man.  In  proof  of  this  we  present  his  Institutes,  which, 
considering  he  was  educated  a  Papist,  and  for  the*bar, 
and  that  they  were  published  while  he  was  yet  under 
thirty  years  of  age,  form  an  enduring  monument  to  his 
memory.  In  profound  thought,  in  scriptural  knowl- 
edge, in  acute  discrimination,  in  severe  analysis,  in 
close  logical  processes,  where  or  by  whom  have  they 
been  surpassed  ?  We  are  no  advocates  for  the  religious 
or  political  errors  of  Calvin  ;  he  himself  taught  strongly 
the  doctrine  of  human  fallibility — those  called  by  his 
name  can  afford  to  confess  that  in  some  things  he  erred ; 
but  his  most  bitter  opponents  must  grant  to  him  a 
most  powerful  and  far-reaching  intellect.  And  be- 
cause founded  on  Scripture  and  reason,  his  doctrines 
and  polity  have  undergone  less  change,  and  now  need 


198  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Calvin's  grave.  His  monument.  Knox. 

less  mending  than  do  those  of  any  other  branch  of  the 
Church  of  the  Reformation.  You  are  shown  the  house 
in  which  he  lived,  and  in  which  he  died ;  but  the  spot 
of  his  burial,  like  that  of  Moses,  is  unknown.  The 
severity  he  exercised  toward  others  he  practiced  toward 
himself,  and  carried  out  as  to  his  own  memory.  Wish- 
ing no  pilgrimages  to  his  grave  by  future  generations, 
he  forbade  the  G-enevese  to  mark  his  grave  in  any  way. 
His  monument  is  the  system  of  truth  which  he  unfold- 
ed, and  which  it  is  far  easier  to  calumniate  than  to 
confute.  To  him,  more  perhaps  than  to  any  other 
man,  are  we  indebted  for  those  most  important  and 
glorious  institutions,  "  a  Church  ivithout  a  bishop,  and 
a  state  ivithout  a  king."  The  services  he  rendered  in 
these  directions  to  the  world  make  a  great  atonement 
for  his  severity  and  errors. 

Here  too  it  was,  and  under  the  teachings  of  Calvin, 
that  John  Knox,  an  exile  for  the  truth,  lit  his  lamp — 
the  kmp  which  illumined  Scotland,  which,  in  a  relig- 
ious point  of  view,  is  the  glory  of  all  lands. 

The  Sabbath  sun  rose  beautifully  over  the  Alps,  and 
shone  warmly  and  without  a  cloud  upon  the  lake,  the 
city,  and  the  Jura  Mountains.  We  went  at  ten  o'clock 
to  the  Oratoire,  but  the  services  were  just  ending  as 
we  reached  it,  having  commenced  at  the  early  hour  of 
eight  o'clock.  In  our  way  we  passed  through  the  great 
market-place,  which  was  thronged  with  peasants  from 
the  country,  in  a  rustic  and  peculiar  garb,  every  one 
bearing  a  stick  laced  to  his  back,  and  extending  about 
a  foot  above  his  head.  They  stood  in  rows  like  soldiers, 
and  neither  moved  nor  conversed.  After  some  inquiry, 
I  learned  that  they  were  mowers  from  the  surrounding 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  199 

Sabbath  in  Geneva.  Cathedral.  Dr.  Gaussen. 

country,  who  cams  there  to  be  hired,  as  it  was  now 
the  season  for  cutting  hay  ;  and  they  stood  in  the  mark- 
et-place ready  to  be  hired.  On  our  return  from  church 
we  passed  through  the  same  market-place,  and  found 
but  few  of  them  left.  The  stick  laced  to  their  back 
was  the  handle  of  their  scythes. 

We  repaired  to  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Peter's,  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  objects  of  the  city.  It  is  simple 
in  its  architecture,  very  capacious,  and  contains  few 
objects  worthy  of  interest.  It  was  here  Calvin  preach- 
ed with  such  power  and  effect,  that  profligacy  was 
compelled  to  hide  its  head.  It  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Church  of  the  Canton,  and  its  preachers  are 
Unitarian.  The  place  was  chilly,  although  the  day  was 
hot ;  benches  for  pews,  but  few  in  attendance ;  not  a 
person  occupied  the  fine  seats  prepared  for  the  city 
authorities,  opposite  the  pulpit :  there  was  an  organ  at 
one  end  of  the  building,  and  a  chorister  under  the  pul- 
pit. The  preacher  seemed  remarkably  animated  and 
fluent,  and  used  no  notes.  The  people  seemed  unin- 
terested. There  was  nothinsr  to  interest  us  in  the 
service,  nor  in  the  people,  nor  in  the  place,  save  that  Cal- 
vin and  his  companions  uttered  truths  within  these 
walls  which  made,  and  still  make,  Rome  tremble,  and 
which  will  live  forever.  Thence  we  returned  to  the  Or- 
atoire,  and  spent  a  most  interesting  hour  in  hearing  Dr. 
Graussen  instructing  a  very  large  congregation  of  young 
people  in  the  Bible  by  way  of  question  and  answer. 
To  us  it  was  gratifying  to  see  so  few  in  the  Cathedral 
listening  to  the  errors  of  Socinianism,  and  to  see  the 
Oratoire  so  crowded,  and  with  the  young,  where  the 
simple  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  is  so  faithfully  proclaimed. 


200  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Cathedral  service.  Dr.  Malan's  chapel.  Service. 

I  know  not  why  nor  how  it  is,  but  Cathedral  wor- 
ship is  substantially  the  same  every  where.  Whether 
performed  at  St.  Peter's  or  St.  John  Lateran,  at  Rome ; 
or  at  St.  Paul's  or  Westminster  Abbey,  in  London ;  or 
at  St.  Peter's,  in  Geneva  ;  or  in  the  old  Cathedral  in 
Glasgow,  it  is  the  same  cold,  formal,  drawling  service, 
which  neither  stimulates  the  mind  nor  warms  the 
heart.  And  they  seem  every  where  alike  deserted,  by 
Papists,  Episcopalians,  and  Presbyterians,  save  when 
some  novelty  attracts  a  crowd.  We  learn  that  even 
at  old  Trinity,  in  New  York,  the  audience  at  matins 
and  vespers  is  often  not  more  than  twice  as  large,  de- 
ducting officials,  as  was  that  of  Dean  Swift's,  when 
reduced  to  "  dearly  beloved  Roger."  The  world  will 
not  be  much  the  loser  when  drawling  Cathedral  serv- 
ices of  every  kind  shall  come  to  a  perpetual  end.  They 
were  instituted  in  days  of  darkness  by  indolent  priests, 
for  an  ignorant  people.  We  know  not  a  solitary  bene- 
fit they  confer  on  the  race,  while  they  do  much  to  sus- 
tain priestly  arrogance  and  to  perpetuate  superstition. 

At  five  P.M.  we  went,  in  company  with  two  friends, 
to  the  chapel  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Malan.  It  is  a  small 
building  within  the  inclosure  of  his  own  premises,  and 
of  the  very  plainest  construction.  And  small  as  it  is, 
it  was  not  crowded.  Over  its  door  is  this  inscription, 
in  French,  "  Jesus  said  unto  those  that  loved  him, 
My  peace  I  leave  unto  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you." 
The  service  was  in  French,  and  in  form  like  unto  that 
which  obtains  in  all  Presbyterian  churches.  The 
manner  of  the  doctor  was  solemn,  but  stiff ;  and  his 
utterance  was  fluent  and  vivacious.  On  his  kind  invi- 
tation, we  spent  the  evening  with  his  family,  and  a 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  201 

Chat  under  the  elms.  Family  service 

charming  family  it  is,  all  of  them  speaking  English 
most  fluently.  In  an  interview  with  him  under  his 
magnificent  elms,  I  learned  from  him  that  he  held 
connection  neither  with  the  state  nor  the  evangelical 
party.  The  state  party  he  considers  corrupt  to  the 
core,  and  the  evangelical  party  as  far  too  lax  in  doc- 
trine and  discipline.  "  I  am,"  said  he,  "  a  Princeton 
man,  and  I  can  not  unite  with  the  evangelical  party  in 
many  things."  And  on  learning  that  I  was  educated 
in  Princeton,  and  that  my  mind  was  first  arrested  to 
the  consideration  of  religious  things  by  the  preaching 
of  Dr.  John  M.  Mason,  of  New  York,  no  longer  able  to 
contain  his  feelings,  he  most  lovingly  embraced  me. 

After  tea  was  served,  the  family  was  collected  for 
worship.  One  played  upon  the  piano,  and  all  sung. 
He  himself  led  in  prayer,  in  French,  until  he  came  to 
invoke  Grod's  blessings  upon  his  guests,  and  their  coun- 
try, and  friends,  when  he  at  once  used  the  English. 
"When  supplication  on  our  behalf  was  concluded,  he 
resumed  the  French.  The  whole  service  was  unique 
and  altogether  delightful.  When  prayers  were  ended 
we  all  drew  round  a  centre-table,  on  which  was  placed 
a  basket  with  slips  of  paper,  on  which  were  written 
texts  of  Scripture  as  mottoes.  Each  person,  in  their 
turn,  drew  a  slip  from  the  basket,  and  the  text  it  con- 
tained was  explained  with  some  reference  to  the  person 
drawing  it.  This  was,  for  at  least  an  hour,  a  source  of 
amusement,  interest,  and  instruction.  And  the  whole 
was  ended  by  each  person  around  the  table  making 
some  contribution  to  the  cause  of  missions.  A  more 
sweet,  Christian,  simple,  cultivated  family  we  have 
never  met.  As  we  retired  from  the  lovely  circle  never 
I  2 


202  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Sabbath  desecration.  Calvin's  conduct. 

more,  probably,  to  see  the  venerable  patriarch  who 
presides  over  it,  we  could  forgive  the  sentence  painted 
over  his  door,  and  which  first  offended,  because  seem- 
ingly too  ostentatious  :  "  Mais  pour  moi  et  ma  maison 
nous  servirons  VEternel ;"  as  for  me  and  my  house, 
we  will  serve  the  Lord. 

Because  of  the  large  infusion  of  a  Popish  popula- 
tion, and  of  the  proverbially  lax  views  of  the  Continent- 
al reformers  as  to  the  Lord's  day,  the  Sabbath  is  sadly 
desecrated  in  Geneva.  They  were  erecting,  vis-a-vis 
to  our  hotel  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhone,  a  very  large 
building,  to  accommodate  the  throngs  brought  together 
by  their  periodical  shooting-match,  where  the  cantons 
are  all  represented  by  their  best  marksmen.  And  from 
the  dawning  of  the  Sabbath's  sun  to  its  setting,  they 
were  working  on  the  building,  and  in  every  direction 
they  were  practicing  on  the  rifle.  We  have  already 
described  the  scene  witnessed  in  the  market-place. 
The  shops  were  every  where  open,  and  people  were 
buying  and  selling.  My  friend  took  a  walk  through 
some  of  the  fashionable  promenades,  and  outside  the 
walls  of  the  city,  daring  the  evening,  and  he  testifies 
that  he  witnessed  no  Sabbath  desecration  in  Paris  to 
surpass  that  of  Greneva,  especially  beyond  the  walls. 
Mortified  with  Parisian  laxness  where  we  expected 
Scotch  or  New  England  strictness  in  the  observance 
of  the  Lord's  day,  we  made  inquiry  as  to  its  cause,  and 
we  were  informed  that  Calvin  himself,  for  the  purpose 
of  bearing  testimony  against  Judaizing  views  of  the 
Sabbath,  would  often  go  through  the  markets  and  stores 
of  the  city,  making  purchases  as  on  any  other  day  of 
the  week  !     Having  heard  this,  and  learning  that  the 


AS     SEEN    IN    EUROPE. 


203 


Lax  views.  Extremes.  Defenders  of  the  Sabbath. 

evangelical  clergy  of  the  city  entertained  the  lax  views 
of  Calvin,  we  could  account  for  the  Sabbath  desecra- 
tion on  all  sides  visible  around  us. 

While  there  is  a  narrow  and  ceremonial  view  of  the 
Sabbath,  which  makes  it  a  day  of  gloom  instead  of  the 
"  pearl  of  days,"  there  is  also  a  lax  view  of  it,  which 
tends  to  make  it  more  a  day  of  pleasure  than  of  devo- 
tion. And  it  is  very  remarkable  to  what  a  degree  the 
maintenance,  and  the  transmission  from  one  generation 
to  another,  of  pure,  and  simple,  and  spiritual  Christi- 
anity, are  connected  with  the  true  sanctification  of  the 
Sabbath  day.  We  owe  its  sanctification,  under  Grod, 
not  to  Luther,  or  Calvin,  or  to  the  Continental  reformers, 
but  to  English  Puritans  and  Scotch  Presbyterians.  And 
we  owe  to  these  many  other  things  which  are  now 
blessing  the  Church  and  the  world. 


204  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Up  the  Lake.  Lausanne.  View. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

Up  Lake  Lehman. — Lausanne. — Farrel. — Priestly  Profligacy. — Cap- 
tain Packenham.  —  His  Definition.  —  Neufchatel.  —  Needed  Ref- 
ormation. — Farrel's  Visit. — His  Grave. — To  Basle  :  its  Appearance 
— its  History — its  Reformation. — (Ecolampadius. — Erasmus. 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  "Aigle"  turned 
her  prow  up  Lake  Lehman,  and  in  a  short  time  Ge- 
neva faded  away  from  our  view.  We  gazed  upon  it, 
beautiful  for  situation,  until  we  could  see  it  no  more. 
The  lake  was  quiet  as  a  sleeping  child ;  it  rained  heav- 
ily, and  straight  from  above  ;  and  the  Alps  and  the 
Jura  Mountains,  on  our  right  and  left,  were  robed  in 
clouds.  On  a  clear  day  this  is  a  sail  of  great  beauty. 
Before  reaching  Lausanne,  the  rain  ceased,  the  clouds 
soon  passed  away,  and  the  capital  of  the  Canton  de 
Vaud  rose  beautifully  on  our  view. 

Lausanne  lies  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  which  rises 
gradually  from  the  lake,  and  at  the  distance  of  about 
two  miles  from  the  place  of  landing.  It  is  intersect- 
ed by  several  deep  ravines,  giving  it  the  appearance  of 
distinct  villages.  The  streets  are  up  and  down,  and 
some  of  them  so  steep  as  to  be  utterly  impassable  by 
carriages.  But  from  some  of  the  high  points,  as  from 
the  terrace  of  the  old  Cathedral,  the  view  of  the  city, 
the  lake,  the  distant  Alps,  is  very  fine.  Cooper,  our 
greatest  American  novelist,  says  of  a  point  above  this 
city,  that  "  it  offers  one  of  the  grandest  landscapes  of 
this  noblest  of  earthly  regions."     You  are  shown  the 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  -  205 


Gibbon.  Profligate  priests.       Packenham. 

house  in  which  Gaboon  concluded  his  history  of  the 
Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  writing 
of  which  was  first  suggested  amid  the  magnificent  ruins 
of  the  Coliseum.     This  city  was  the  residence  of  Haller, 
Tissot,  Voltaire,  and  Gribbon ;  it  possesses  at  this  day 
a  most  refined  society,  and  is  yet  the  resort  of  many 
foreigners  for  the  education  of  their  children.     Here 
Farrel  and  other  Reformers  displayed  great  energy  and 
eloquence  in  the  promotion  of  the  great  work  of  the 
Reformation.     It  is  said  that  in  no  part  of  Europe  was 
the  conduct  of  the  priests  so  utterly  shameless  as  here. 
They  would  often  issue  in  companies  from  the  bishop's 
palace,  and  from  the  religious  houses,  drunk,  armed 
with  rapiers  and  swords ;  would  murder  men  and  wom- 
en in  the  riots  that  would  ensue  ;  and  after  indulgence 
in  all  kinds  of  brutal  licentiousness,  would  return  to 
mass,  the  missal,  and  the   confessional,  where  they 
would  mutually  confess,  and  then  absolve  one  anoth- 
er !     The  city  was  under  the  care  of  Mary,  but  Yenus 
was  the  divinity  of  the  priests.     The  episcopal  palace 
is  yet  standing,  faded,  and  deserted  by  priests  and  their 
prostitutes  ;  but  as  you  gaze  upon  it,  the  remembrance 
of  other  days  comes  over  you,  and  the  prayer  involun- 
tarily rises  from  your  heart,  that  the  Papal  banner  may 
never  again  float  from  its  turrets,  and  that  the  war-cry 
of  Sebastian  may  never  again  go  forth  from  its  halls. 

We  here  met  again  the  warm,  generous,  Christian, 
and  self-sacrificing  Captain  Packenham,  the  exile  from 
Rome  and  Tuscany  because  of  his  efforts  to  circulate 
the  Scriptures.  He  is  an  Irishman  by  birth.  He  was 
an  officer  in  the  British  navy,  and  he  has  lived  in  Italy 
until  familiar  as  a  native  with  its  language  and  insti- 


206  •  MEN     AND    THINGS 

A  definition.  Neufchatel.  Farrel. 

tutions.  "  What,"  said  I  to  him,  "  is  your  honest  es- 
timate of  the  Catholic  priests  of  the  Continent?"  I 
never  will  forget  the  emphasis  and  the  energy  of  his 
reply.  "  Popery  and  its  priests  are  simply  and  only 
the  police  of  despotism."  This  definition  should  be 
hung  up  where  the  nations  should  read  it.  To  all 
Americans  I  would  say,  "Keep  it  before  the  people!" 

The  fine  country  between  Lausanne  and  Neufchatel 
we  traversed  at  night  in  a  diligence,  and  reached  the 
latter  city  in  the  early  morning.  It  lies  upon  a  steep 
slope  of  the  Jura  Mountains,  and  is  famed  for  its  man- 
ufacture of  poor  Burgundy,  poor  watches,  and  poor  jew- 
elry. And  to  these  poor  things  I  would  add,  from  per- 
sonal experience,  poor  hotels  and  poor  fare.  The  town 
seems  neither  Swiss,  French,  nor  Grerman  ;  but  a  mixt- 
ure of  them  all,  and  not  of  the  best  elements  of  either ; 
a  kind  of  patois  is  spoken,  which  retains  the  barbaric, 
and  drops  the  refined. 

But  here  was  a  reformation  work  of  surpassing  in- 
terest. In  that  old  Cathedral  canons  of  the  most  de- 
praved character  said  mass  ;  and  in  that  building  above 
the  town,  whose  ruins  are  shown  you,  the  monks  of 
Fontaine- Andre  prayed  and  reveled.  The  canons  and 
monks  were  at  open  war.  Both  were  equally  wicked. 
They  kept  their  mistresses — clothed  them  sumptuous- 
ly— endowed  their  children — fought  in  the  church — 
haunted  the  streets  by  night ;  and,  to  gratify  their 
lusts,  plundered  the  people.  One  day  a  frail  boat  was 
seen  crossing  the  lake,  from  which  was  landed  a  small, 
thin,  pale  man,  with  sun-burned  complexion,  red  beard, 
sparkling  eyes,  expressive  mouth,  his  every  feature  ex- 
pressive of  an  iron  will.     It  was  Farrel.     The  canons 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  207 


His  preaching. His  grave.  To  Basle" 

and  monks  would  have  hailed  a  hundred  plagues  in 
preference  to  him.  Forbidden  admission  to  all  church- 
es, he  mounted  a  stone,  which  is  yet  shown  the  travel- 
er, and  preached  to  the  people.  The  canons  and  monks 
made  a  vigorous  defense.  Their  shaven  crowns  were 
seen  every  where  in  the  crowd ;  they  supplicated,  men- 
aced, threatened,  howled  ;  but  it  was  useless.  They 
sought  to  blast  his  character — then  to  murder  him  ; 
but  it  was  all  over  with  them.  The  people  of  Neuf- 
chatel  received  the  word  of  God.  And  as  the  sun  was 
rising  over  the  Alps,  and  over  the  lake,  at  one  end  of 
which  this  city  lies,  I  was  treading  the  ground  on 
which  Farrel  preached,  and  viewing  the  old  Cathedral 
where  the  canons  carried  on  their  orgies — on  the  ter- 
race of  which  Farrel  was  buried,  and  in  which  the 
doctrines  of  the  Reformation  are  now  preached.  If 
Geneva  is  the  city  of  Calvin,  Neufchatel  is  the  city  of 
Farrel.  Its  historic  glory  is  not  in  its  princes  of  the 
house  of  Chalons,  nor  in  its  subjection  to  Marshal  Ber- 
thier,  nor  yet  to  the  house  of  Brandenburg,  but  to  its 
having  received  the  Gospel,  "  as  if  it  had  but  one  soul," 
from  Farrel.  Like  the  grave  of  Calvin,  there  is  no 
stone  to  point  out  the  precise  spot  where  his  mortal  is 
waiting  the  call  to  put  on  its  immortality. 

The  ride  from  Neufchatel  to  Basle  is  one  of  great 
beauty  at  points.  The  road  lies  on  the  shores  of  lakes 
Neufchatel  and  Bienne ;  for  several  miles  the  waters  are 
on  one  side,  and  the  slopes  and  spurs  of  the  Jura,  clad 
with  vines  to  their  very  summits,  on  the  other.  We 
crossed  a  low  ridge  of  the  Jura  by  a  very  fine  road,  and 
soon  we  struck  a  stream,  which  is  one  of  the  many 
which  forms  the  head  waters  of  the  Rhine.     Then  we 


208  MEN    AND    THINGS 

A  fine  gorge.  Basle.  Its  history. 

commenced  a  descent,  which  continued  for  hours,  down 
a  road  which  followed  this  stream,  and  through  a  de- 
file of  fearful  grandeur.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  en- 
tire gorge,  with  its  steep  banks,  must  have  been  the 
result  of  human  labor  and  gunpowder ;  but  that  awful 
ravine,  and  the  walls  of  solid  rock,  that  tower  to  heav- 
en on  either  side,  are  the  work  of  the  great  Architect. 
As  we  emerged  from  it,  the  ruins  of  old  fortifications, 
which  date  back  to  the  days  of  Csesar,  were  on  either 
hand,  and  a  beautiful  plain  opened  before  us,  over 
which  we  galloped  until  we  passed  the  walls  and  en- 
tered the  old  city  of  Basle.  Although  yet  in  Switzer- 
land politically,  we  were  now  fairly  out  of  it  physical- 
ly. And  although  bordering  on  Switzerland,  Germa- 
ny, and  France,  every  traveler  would  say,  on  riding 
through  Basle — on  reading  the  signs  over  shops  and 
the  names  on  doors — on  witnessing  the  dress  of  the  fe- 
males, with  ribbons  too  long  and  dresses  too  short — on 
seeing  the  style  of  architecture,  and  the  variegated 
painting  of  the  houses,  that  it  fairly  belongs  to  the 
Dutch.  None  knowing  the  premises  would  say  that 
this  would  be  a  violent  inference. 

Basle  has  a  great  history,  although  not  a  great  place. 
It  dates  back  to  the  fourth  century  ;  and  because  lying 
at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Rhine,  it  became  rich 
and  powerful.  During  the  Middle  Ages  it  was  govern- 
ed by  warlike  bishops,  whose  conflicts  with  their  breth- 
ren often  devastated  the  surrounding  country.  In  the 
fourteenth  century  it  was  first  decimated  by  war  ;  then 
ravaged  by  a  plague,  from  which  only  three  families  es- 
caped ;  and  then  was  laid  in  ruins  by  an  earthquake ! 
It  had  so  far  recovered  from  this  awful  ruin  as  to  be 


AS     SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  209 

Council  of  Basle.  Reformation.  (Ecolampadius. 

selected  as  the  seat  of  the  great  Council  which  met 
there  in  1431,  which  did  so  much  for  the  moral  refor- 
mation of  the  clergy,  and  which  is  therefore  so  much 
maligned  by  the  holy,  apostolical  Church.  "Would  it 
not  be  well  for  those  who  tell  us  of  the  unity  and  in- 
fallibility of  the  Papal  Church  to  read  again  the  very 
edifying  history  of  this  Council  of  Basle  ?  And  there 
yet  stands  the  old  Cathedral  in  which  that  Council  sat, 
now  happily  consecrated  to  the  preaching  of  the  Grospel. 

It  was  here  the  work  of  reformation,  blended  with 
that  of  revolution ;  and  although  the  excitement  was 
intense,  the  mass  was  exchanged  for  the  Gfospel  without 
the  shedding  of  a  drop  of  blood.  The  people  took  the 
work  of  reform  into  their  own  hands  ;  they  entered  the 
churches,  tore  down  their  idols,  and  burned  them  in 
the  street  on  Ash- Wednesday.  "  The  idols,"  said  the 
wags,  "  are  keeping  their  Ash- Wednesday  to-day !"  "  I 
am  surprised,"  said  Erasmus,  "  that  they  perform  no 
miracle  to  save  themselves  :  formerly  the  saints  work- 
ed prodigies  for  much  smaller  offenses." 

In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  every  thing  was 
changed  in  this  city.  The  Grospel  was  preached  in  all 
its  churches,  and  the  mass  was  pronounced  an  idola- 
trous rite  the  moment  it  was  understood  by  the  people. 
(Ecolampadius  was  the  great  instrument  in  the  hand 
of  G-od  of  this  change.  And  he  stands  to  Basle  in  the 
relation  in  which  Farrel  stands  to  Neufchatel,  and  Cal- 
vin to  Geneva. 

Basle  was  the  residence  of  the  learned,  the  time-serv- 
ing, the  vain,  the  cowardly  Erasmus,  who  favored  the 
doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  and  yet  wrote  against 
Luther ;  who  scoffed  at  Popery,  and  yet  was  fretted  at 


210  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Erasmus.  Zwingle.  Missionary  school. 

its  overthrow.  Here,  also,  is  his  grave.  Here  were 
born  (Ecolampadius,  Wetstein,  Buxtorf,  the  Bernouil- 
lis,  and  Euler.  Here  Zwingle  was-  educated.  Here 
Calvin,  Arminius,  De  "Watte,  Oken,  and  others  found 
refuge  from  persecution.  And  here  is  a  missionary 
school,  which  has  sent  out  over  all  the  heathen  world 
some  of  the  most  useful  and  faithful  missionaries  now 
laboring  to  gild  the  earth  with  the  light  of  the  Gros- 
pel.  Many  and  noble  are  the  recollections  which  clus- 
ter around  the  city  of  Basle. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  211 

Lallen  Konig.  Along  the  Rhine.  Women. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

Departure  from  Basle. — Valley  of  the  Rhine. — Variety  of  Travelers. 
— Characteristic  Reply. — An  Observer. — A  Question  answered. — 
Strasburg  :  its  wondrous  Clock. — Advice  to  the  Priests. — The  Ca- 
thedral.— An  American  Prelate. — Jews  burned. — Why  no  Relics. 
— Poor  Scotland. — Searched. — To  Baden-Baden. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  we  stepped  into  an 
omnibus,  and  were  driven  across  the  famous  old  bridge 
which  connects  Basle  and  Little  Basle,  and  on  which 
stood  the  grotesque  figure,  "Lallen  Konig,"  which,  by 
the  movement  of  a  pendulum,  constantly  protruded  its 
tongue  and  rolled  up  its  goggle  eyes,  making  con- 
temptuous faces  at  Little  Basle.  A  ride  of  three  miles 
through  a  rich  bottom-land  brought  us  to  the  railway 
station,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  out  of  Switzer- 
land, perhaps  forever. 

The  railway  keeps  along,  on  what  we  would  call 
the  second  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and  for  hours  the  river, 
and  its  wide,  level,  and  fertile  bottom-lands  were  in 
full  view.  There  are  no  fences,  and  but  few  trees  to 
obstruct  the  vision ;  and  at  a  glance  we  could  see 
hundreds  of  people,  men  and  women,  mostly  women, 
making  hay.  The  view  was  often  picturesque.  As 
in  Italy,  the  women  here  work  just  as  do  men,  and  hire 
out  in  the  same  way  for  about  twenty  dollars  a  year. 
There  is  no  kind  of  field  service  which  they  do  not 
perform. 

One  meets  abroad  with  every  variety  of  travelers, 


212  MEN    AND     THINGS 

Variety  of  travelers.  A  reply.  All  in  keeping. 

and  especially  from  America.  We  are  a  locomotive 
people,  loving  travel  beyond  any  other.  Our  men  of 
tact  and  industry  make  money  rapidly,  and  spend  it 
often  lavishly  and  unwisely.  But  few  Europeans 
travel  save  scholars  and  the  aristocracy  ;  but  Ameri- 
cans of  every  grade,  if  they  have  the  means,  will  travel, 
unless  kept  at  home  by  some  strong  antagonistic  in- 
fluence. Hence  you  meet  with  some  of  them  in  the 
Coliseum,  utterly  ignorant  of  its  great  history — and  in 
St.  Peter's,  who  see  there  nothing  to  admire — and  pay- 
ing a  thousand  francs  for  a  modern  daub,  as  a  produc- 
tion of  one  of  the  great  masters — and  seeing  nothing 
of  art  in  the  great  frescoes  of  Angelo  in  the  Sistine — 
and  passing  unnoticed  the  "  Dying  Grladiator."  Hence 
the  laughable  and  characteristic  reply  of  an  American 
merchant,  on  his  return  from  Rome,  when  asked  by  a 
friend  in  Liverpool,  "Well,  sir,  you  have  been  in  Rome, 
what  do  you  think  of  it?"  "  Not  very  much,  sir;  I 
think  its  public  buildings  are  very  sadly  out  of  re- 
pair !" 

We  had  as  fellow-traveler  down  the  Rhine  one  of 
these  sagacious  Americans.  He  was  a  general,  and 
an  ex-state  senator,  and  a  brewer,  according  to  his  own 
showing.  He  was  large  enough  for  a  general,  pom- 
pous enough  for  a  senator,  and  there  was  a  swelling 
protuberance  beneath  his  waistcoat  which  might  sug- 
gest the  idea  that  he  had  swallowed  a  barrel.  He 
slept  most  soundly  near  me  as  we  flew  along  our  iron 
way.  I  greatly  disliked  to  have  him  lose  the  points 
of  great  attraction  which  were  rapidly  opening  upon 
us  and  as  rapidly  receding.  We  turned  a  curve  where 
a  beautiful  panoramic  view  opened  up,  and  laying  my 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  213 

A  representative.  Vesuvius  forgotten.  Strasburg. 

hand  upon  him,  I  gave  him  a  hearty  shake,  exclaiming, 
"  G-eneral,  what  a  beautiful  view  !"  He  rubbed  his 
eyes  and  looked  out  for  a  moment,  and  as  he  quietly 
composed  himself  for  another  sleep,  he  replied,  "I 
passed  up  this  way  before."  After  that  I  gave  him 
up.  He  was  a  fit  subject  for  staying  at  home,  and  is 
a  fit  representative  of  a  certain  class  of  travelers. 
"  "Were  you  at  Naples  when  abroad,  sir  ?"  said  I  to 
one  of  our  upper  ten.  His  reply  was  characteristic. 
"  I  really  forget,  sir,"  said  he  ;  and,  turning  to  one  of 
his  daughters,  he  asked,  "  were  we,  Sarah?"  "  0  yes," 
she  blushingly  replied  ;  "  do  you  not  remember  Vesu- 
vius ?"  But  all  traces  even  of  Vesuvius  seemed  buried 
under  the  lava  of  dollars  and  cents.  Why  do  such 
persons  travel  ? 

To  Strasburg  from  Basle,  the  country  is  very  level, 
and  you  are  rarely  out  of  view  of  the  Rhine.  "We 
stopped  to  see  the  famous  Cathedral,  whose  immensely 
high  tower  is  visible  at  a  great  distance.  "We  crossed 
the  river  on  a  bridge  of  boats,  the  first  we  had  ever 
seen,  and  which  recalled  the  days  of  Caesar.  It  seemed 
as  firm  as  if  made  of  wood  or  of  stone.  "We  met  French 
soldiers  and  officers  on  the  opposite  bank,  who  ordered 
us  out  of  our  little  carriage,  and  searched  all  its  boxes, 
and  felt  over  our  persons  in  quest  of  contraband  goods. 
Having  none,  they  permitted  us  to  pass  on.  "We  soon 
crossed  the  motes,  and  entered  by  the  ponderous  gates 
set  in  the  prodigious  fortifications  which  guard  this 
border  town ;  and  as  the  hour  of  high  noon  was  ap- 
proaching, we  drove  with  rapid  pace  to  the  chamber  of 
the  famous  clock  in  the  Cathedral. 

This  clock  is  a  wonderful  affair,  standing  as  high, 


214  MEN    AND    THINGS 

The  clock.  Its  movements.  Priests  advised. 

if  not  higher,  than  our  largest  church  organs.  At 
twelve  o'clock,  Death  comes  out  and  strikes  the  hour. 
Then  commences  a  series  of  wonders.  The  twelve 
apostles  pass  in  review  before  the  Savior,  who  stands 
over  them  with  uplifted  hands.  And  a  rooster,  made 
of  brass,  shakes  his  wings  and  crows  thrice.  If  not 
perfect,  the  imitation  is  very  fine.  The  noise  of  his 
brazen  wings  and  feathers,  when  clapping  them,  was 
too  ringing  to  be  natural.  And  this  clock  tells  not 
only  the  time  of  day,  but  the  day  of  the  week,  the  day 
of  the  month,  the  month  of  the  year,  the  changes  of 
the  weather,  the  phases  of  the  moon,  the  complicated 
movement  of  the  planets  ;  and,  in  addition,  it  plays 
several  tunes  and  marches  by  way  of  pastime.  This 
clock  was  constructed  by  Isaac  Habrecht,  in  reference 
to  whom  many  stories  are  told.  It  ran  down,  and  got 
out  of  repair  ;  and  for  years  there  was  no  mechanic 
that  could  repair  it.  Even  Bonaparte  took  its  repair 
into  consideration.  A  man  was  finally  found  who  could 
comprehend  its  wonderfully  complicated  machinery, 
and  repair  it.  And  we  witnessed,  with  hundreds  of 
others,  its  extraordinary  evolutions  at  twelve  o'clock 
at  noon.  As  the  Cathedral  is  in  the  possession  of  the 
Papists,  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder  they  do  not  make  a 
saint  out  of  Isaac  Habrecht,  and  a  standing  miracle 
out  of  his  astonishing  mechanism.  It  seems  to  me  the 
priests  could  make  more  out  of  it  than  out  of  the  bun- 
gle of  the  blood  of  Januarius,  or  the  winking  Madonna 
of  Rimini.  I  would  advise  them  to  try  their  hand  at 
it.  The  only  objection  to  the  effort  is  the  extreme  tend- 
ency of  the  G-erman  mind  to  incredulity.  Yet  there 
are  many  of  easy  faith  with  whom  they  might  succeed. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  215 

The  Cathedral.  A  bishop.  Its  history. 

When  ordered  out  of  the  chamber  of  the  clock,  we 
went  through  and  round  the  great  Cathedral.  It  has 
two  towers  and  but  one  spire,  and  that  the  highest  in 
the  world — higher  than  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  than 
Cheops,  the  highest  pyramid  of  Egypt.  The  whole 
building  is  the  most  distinguished  specimen  of  G-othic 
architecture  in  existence,  and  its  tracery  the  finest  in 
the  world.  After  viewing  this  and  the  other  sights  of 
the  city,  we  dined  at  one  of  the  best  ordered  hotels  we 
saw  in  Europe.  It  was  here  we  met  the  pedantic  lit- 
tle archbishop  of  Ohio,  with  a  big  cross  before  him,  and 
a  stupid-looking  priest  acting  as  lackey,  behind  him. 
We  asked  some  of  the  waiters  who  he  was,  and  if  his 
reverence  had  only  seen  some  of  the  grimaces  which 
they  made  behind  his  back,  he  would  have  been  not 
much  more  pleased  than  on  his  recent  defeat  on  the 
school  question  in  his  own  beloved  Cincinnati.  They 
were  either  very  poor  Papists,  or  Protestants  no  bet- 
ter than  they  ought  to  be.  It  requires  as  much  brass 
to  be  a  Popish  priest  now,  even  in  some  Papal  coun- 
tries, as  it  did  to  be  an  augur  in  the  waning  days  of 
the  superstition  of  the  Roman  empire. 

Strasburg  has  its  history.  It  was  the  Argentoratum 
of  the  Romans,  and,  because  of  its  position,  has  been 
for  centuries  a  commercial  town  of  considerable  import- 
ance. Here  two  thousand  Jews  were  burned  on  the 
suspicion  of  having  poisoned  the  wells  and  fountains  of 
water  !  Here  the  art  of  printing  was  invented.  Here 
the  Reformation  gained  some  of  its  earliest  triumphs  ; 
and  a  great  portion  of  the  people  are  yet  Lutherans. 
Here  some  terrible  revolutionary  scenes  were  enacted. 
Here  the  Marseillaise  Hymn  was  written  by  De  Lisle 


216  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Vauban.  No  relics.  Ladies  suspected. 

Here  Vauban,  famous  for  his  skill  in  erecting  fortifica- 
tions, earned  many  laurels.  And  yet  all  its  lions  are 
soon  seen  ;  and  after  that,  there  is  nothing  to  induce  a 
wish  to  tarry.  I  made  some  inquiry  for  relics  in  the 
Papal  churches,  but  could  not  learn  that  there  were 
any.  Somehow  or  other,  holy  bones,  coats,  nails,  and 
pieces  of  wood  seem  to  hate  Protestants  as  much  as  do 
the  priests ;  and  where  there  is  a  strong  sprinkling  of 
unbelievers  as  in  Strasburg,  the  relics  become  bashful, 
and  refuse  to  obtrude  themselves  !  This  may  be  the 
reason  why  they  abound  in  Italy,  while  I  know  not 
that  there  is  even  the  holy  parings  of  a  holy  nail  in 
Scotland  !    Poor  Scotland  ! 

Again  we  passed  the  gates  of  this  old  city  and  the 
Rhine  ;  and  on  the  Baden  side  we  were  examined  by 
officers,  just  as  we  were  on  the  French  side  when  going 
over.  These  officials  seemed  to  mistrust  the  ladies  more 
than  the  men,  and  on  that  account  pressed  their  clothes 
less  tenderly,  and  scrutinized  them  more  closely.  But 
we  were  soon  on  the  railway,  and  drew  up  at  Baden- 
Baden  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  town  beau- 
tiful for  situation,  and  noted  as  a  watering-place.  Al- 
though the  season  had  scarcely  commenced,  the  streets 
were  full  of  people — most  of  them,  like  ourselves,  stran- 
gers. 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  217 

Baden-Baden.  Conversation  House.  Gambling-room. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Baden-Baden. —  Conversation  House. — The  Gambling-room. — The 
Manner  of  the  Game,  and  Gamblers.— Monopoly  in  Gambling ! — 
Hot  Springs. — Their  Manner  of  Use. — The  new  Castle. — Breakfast- 
room. — Underground  Apartments. — Awful  History. 

After  locating  ourselves  in  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre, 
we  went  forth  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  to  see  Baden- 
Baden.  Hill  and  vale,  palace  and  cottage,  splendor 
and  poverty  are  mixed  up  together.  So  steep  are  some 
of  the  streets  as  to  render  them  difficult  of  ascent  on 
foot.  A  dense  forest  skirts  the  town,  netted  by  beauti- 
ful walks,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  attractions  of  the 
place.  Opposite  to  our  hotel,  and  in  the  background  of 
a  large  green,  rose  the  Conversation  House,  devoted  to 
the  various  purposes  of  balls,  card  parties,  eating,  drink- 
ing, smoking,  and  gambling.  And  we  saw  men  and 
women  engaged  in  these  pursuits,  even  to  the  smoking 
and  gambling ! !  Yery  large  trees  throw  a  dense  shade 
over  the  part  of  the  green  in  front  of  the  house,  and 
hundreds  were  sitting  beneath  them,  of  all  ages  and 
sexes,  sipping  wine,  coffee,  and  ices,  in  great  glee,  and 
apparently  very  happy. 

But  the  place  which  most  attracted  our  attention 
here  was  the  famous  gambling-room,  of  which  we  had 
heard  much,  and  which  we  resolved  to  see  for  ourselves. 

This  room  is  connected  with  the  Conversation  House, 
and  is  finely  frescoed  and  furnished.  There  are  no 
green  blinds  or  curtains  to  conceal  persons  from  view. 

K 


218  MEN    AND    THINGS 

The  process.  The  banker.  The  gamblers. 

It  is  on  the  first  floor,  beautifully  lighted,  and  exposed 
to  public  view.  It  is  open  to  all — all  may  enter  it,  but 
all  save  those  who  venture  are  forbidden  to  take  seats. 
"We  stood  at  least  an  hour  to  witness  the  operation, 
and  to  study  human  nature.  Piles  of  gold  and  silver 
lay  on  the  table,  and  by  the  elbows  of  a  man  called 
"  the  banker."  A  machine  was  there,  which  was  turn- 
ed rapidly  round,  out  of  which  a  small  ball  soon  drop- 
ped upon  a  board  below,  which  was  squared ;  these 
s.quares  were  variously  colored  and  numbered.  And  it 
would  seem  that  whether  the  player  won  or  lost  was 
determined  by  the  square  and  the  number  in  which  the 
ball  reposed.  As  I  did  not  understand  the  game,  I  com- 
menced reading  the  gamblers.  The  "banker"  uttered 
not  one  syllable  during  the  time  I  stood  there.  He 
watched  the  ball,  and,  as  he  won  or  lost,  threw  out  or 
raked  in  the  gold  or  silver.  There  was  no  conversation 
above  a  whisper  around  the  table.  There  was  no  ap- 
peal— no  scolding.  One  man  threw  down  a  Napoleon : 
he  lost  it — then  two — then  three — then  five  :  he  lost 
them  all,  and  retired  obviously  disappointed ;  but  not 
a  word  did  he  utter.  An  old  man  threw  down  five  gold 
pieces  :  he  lost  them,  and  retired.  A  man  in  mid  life 
with  jaunty  air  threw  down  three  pieces  ;  the  banker 
paid  over  :  three  more  he  won  again  and  again.  He 
retired  with  cheerful  countenance ;  and,  as  he  retired, 
the  leaden  eye  of  the  banker  fell  upon  him  ;  but  not  a 
word  was  uttered.  Some  women  were  seated  at  the 
table,  with  all  the  soul  they  had,  both  as  to  quality  and 
quantity,  in  the  game ;  but  they  did  not  play  during 
our  stay  there.  That  they  do  play  is  notorious,  and 
some  of  them  even  stake  their  virtue  when  their  money 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  219 

Doubtful  prize.  Blackleg  princes.  Hot  springs. 

is  gone !  But  such  must  have  lost  their  virtue  before 
their  money.  The  winner  of  such  virtue  gains  a  very- 
doubtful  prize. 

This  was  such  a  sight  as  I  had  never  previously  wit- 
nessed. That  cold-blooded  banker,  schooled  in  crime 
and  in  the  art  of  deception,  watching  for  victims  as  a 
spider  for  flies — passion  rising  and  falling  in  his  face  as 
he  won  or  lost,  and  as  quietly  as  mercury  in  the  ther- 
mometer ;  those  victims  throwing  down  their  money 
in  hope,  losing  it,  and  going  away  in  despair ;  those 
women,  with  fingers  sparkling  with  jewels,  witnessing 
and  abetting  the  whole.  0,  if  I  have  ever  seen  fiends 
in  human  form,  I  believe  it  was  round  that  swindling 
machine  in  Baden-Baden !  And  this  gambling-house 
belongs  to  the  Duke  of  Baden,  who  claims  a  monopoly 
in  gambling,  and  who  farms  his  monopoly  to  a  compa- 
ny in  Paris  at  an  enormous  yearly  rent !  How  humil- 
iating, that  such  robbers  and  blacklegs  should  rank 
among  princes  !  This  is  a  town  beautiful  for  situation, 
but  its  moral  atmosphere  is  contaminating. 

The  hot  springs  of  Baden  form  its  great  attraction 
and  curiosity.  The  main  spring  issues  from  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  which  rises  over  the  town,  and  which 
is  surmounted  by  the  palace  of  the  reigning  duke. 
Over  this  spring  is  erected  a  large  building,  in  which  is 
a  large  basin  for  the  reception  of  the  water,  whose  heat 
as  it  issues  from  the  rock  is  154  degrees.  The  steam 
that  rises  from  it  is  conveyed  into  apartments  for  steam 
baths.  The  water  is  conveyed  into  others  for  hot  baths, 
where  it  is  cooled  to  the  required  point.  From  this  res- 
ervoir it  is  conveyed  in  pipes  over  the  whole  town,  and 
at  every  corner  you  see  the  people  drawing  hot  water. 


220  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Drink-hall.  Morning  call.  Under  ground. 

Indeed,  it  is  conveyed  across  the  river  that  flows  through 
the  town  to  a  fine  building  called  the  Drink-hall,  where 
people  resort  for  the  waters  in  the  morning,  as  they  do 
in  Saratoga  to  the  Congress  Spring,  and  where  it  retains 
undiminished  its  heat  and  its  virtues.  The  use  of  these 
waters  is  regulated  by  law,  and  none  are  permitted  to 
bathe  in  them  without  an  order  from  a  physician.  Un- 
less the  system  is  in  a  state  to  require  them,  bathing 
in  them  is  greatly  injurious.  A  single  bath  gave  to  a 
traveling  friend  a  pair  of  black  eyes,  from  which  he  did 
not  recover  for  weeks.  One  cup  at  the  Drink-hall  fully 
satisfied  us.  The  water  smells  like  poor  broth,  and  has 
a  salty,  alkalish  taste. 

We  made  a  morning  call  at  the  new  castle  of  the 
duke,  which  surmounts  the  hill,  and  were  shown 
through  all  its  apartments.  As  if  for  our  accommoda- 
tion, he  had  just  retired  from  his  breakfast-room,  that 
we  might  see  the  table  at  which  a  reigning  prince  sip- 
ped coffee.  We  have  seen  the  breakfast  room  and  ta- 
ble of  many  in  America  more  richly  furnished.  The 
upper  apartments  wore  quite  an  air  of  poverty,  after 
having  seen  those  of  Versailles,  the  Q,uirinal,  and  Tu- 
rin. But  the  underground  apartments  possess  a  fear- 
ful interest.  With  lighted  torches  we  went  down  into 
the  cellar  of  the  palace ;  thence,  by  a  spiral,  inclined 
plane,  we  went  down,  down,  until,  by  a  door  formed  of 
one  huge  flag,  and  fitted  to  its  place  with  remarkable 
exactness,  we  entered  a  small,  oval  room,  perhaps  ten 
feet  in  diameter,  and  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock.  The 
door  was  shut  behind  us,  and  we  were  buried  alive  un- 
der the  mountain !  A  ray  of  light  came  from  above, 
and  we  could  look  up  as  through  a  narrow  chimney ;  a 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  221 

Fearful  room.  Its  history.  Kissing  the  Virgin. 

stone  was  removed  beneath  our  feet,  and  we  could  look 
down  perhaps  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  and  could  see 
a  little  glimmer  of  light  upon  a  dashing  current  of  wa- 
ter, whose  murmurings  came  up  to  us  from  beneath. 
And  all  around  the  room  were  seats  cut  out  of  the  rock. 
And  what  was  the  object  and  history  of  this  awful 
room  ? 

Its  history,  as  given  us  by  our  guide,  and  within  its 
walls,  is  briefly  as  follows  :  In  the  days  of  feudal  clem- 
ency and  inquisitorial  piety,  those  suspected  of  political 
or  religious  heresy  were  suddenly  seized  and  confined 
in  some  of  the  adjacent  cells.  The  little  room  above 
described  was  the  room  of  judgment,  and  the  judges 
were  let  down  by  machinery  through  the  opening  above. 
The  accused  were  then  introduced,  and  that  heavy 
stone  door  was  shut !  And  there,  shut  out  from  every 
eye  save  that  of  Grod  and  their  judges,  they  were  tried 
and  condemned.  If  not  guilty,  the  accused  were  hated 
or  feared,  which  made  condemnation  even  more  certain 
than  guilt.  When  condemned,  they  were  commanded 
to  kiss  an  image  of  the  Virgin  in  the  apartment ;  in 
the  movement  they  touched  springs,  which  caused  her 
to  embrace  them,  and  in  the  embrace  to  pierce  them 
through  and  through  with  daggers.  Then  a  trap  was 
sprung  beneath  their  feet,  which  let  their  bodies  fall 
upon  a  wheel  armed  with  knives,  which  was  kept  in 
constant  revolution  by  a  stream  of  water ;  by  those 
knives  they  were  cut  in  pieces,  and  the  mutilated  frag- 
ments fell  into  the  stream  below ! 

And  there  we  were,  receiving  this  awful  narrative  in 
the  very  apartment  where  these  atrocities  were  com- 
mitted in  the  name  of  justice  and  religion,  with  the  tun- 


2'2'2  HBB    AND    THIV  I  - 

nel  above  us  through  which  the  holy  inquisitors  de- 
scended, and  with  the  tunnel  beneath  tis  through  which 
ctims  were  let  down  for  mutila- 
tion, so  as  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  recognizance ! 
a  moment  our  blood  ran  cold,  an  :  re  filled  with 

horror !     Oh !   if  those  stone  I  those  walls  of 

solid  rock  could  speak — if  the  injunction  of  perpetual 
were   removed  by  Him   who  upheaved  the 
mountain,  what  awful  narratives  they  would  give  of 
the  :  treachery,  hatred,  and  blood  there  perpe- 

od  in  the  name  of  God  and  religion  !     What  wail- 
uttered  under  the  tortures  enjoined  by 
.  ::■_->:  =  '. 

The  stone  door  swung  open,  and  we  groped  our  way 
through  a  labyrinth  of  chambers  and  passages,  dai  k 
midnight,  into  the  open  air.     "We  all  breathed  ea 
and  a  feeling  of  fear  g  y  to  one  of  security.    We 

b  soon  after  on  the  railway  for  Frankfort-on-the- 
Maine.  deeply  impressed  with  the  beauty  and  wicked- 
of  Baden-Baden,  and  thankful  that  its  days  of  feu- 
dal and  papal  tyranny  were  at  an  end. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  223 

Heidelberg.  Darmstadt.  EOtel  Ruesie. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

To  Frankfort  from  Baden-Baden.— Hotel  Russie.— The  City— Ca- 
thedral—Jews'  Quarters. —  Rothschilds. —  Their  History,  and  its 
Lessons. — To  Cassel. — Down  the  Rhine. — Ruins,  and  their  His- 
tory.— The  Rhine  and  Hudson  compared. — Cologne. — The  Dom. — 
Mary  and  Bambino  again. — The  Three  Kings. — The  Bargain  de- 
clined.— An  Inference. — St.  Ursula. — Bridge  of  Boats. 

Railway  sketches  must  be   either   second-hand  or 
very  imperfect.     I  will  therefore   say  nothing  about 
our  ride  from  Baden  through  Heidelberg,  famed  for  its 
charming  situation,  its  university,  its   Catechism,  its 
sreat  services  at  the  Reformation  ;  nor  of  Darmstadt,  a 
roval  residence,  whose  drill-house  for  the  soldiers  was 
said  by  a  wag  to  be  larger  than  the  duchy :  nor  of 
the   many  pretty  places   and  vine-clad   hills  through 
which  we  passed,  and  which  we  saw  on  our  way  to 
Frankfort.     The  day  was  clear  and  the  ride  was  pleas- 
ant.    We  reached  the  city  of  G-oethe  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  took  up  our  quarters  at  the  Hotel  Russie. 
I  find,  as  to  this  hotel,  the  following  entry  in  my  note- 
book:  ■•  Weary  with  the  labors  of  the  day,  I  lay  down 
in  a  bed,  which,  to  be  comfortable,  should  be  a  foot 
longer  or  I  a  foot  shorter.     I  will  avoid  this  hotel  the 
next  time/'     It  stands  in  an  open,  noble  street,  and 
has  a  reputation,  like  many  other  persons  and  things, 
wonderfully  beyond   its  merits.     I    would    warn    all 
against  it.  save  those  who  have  the  power  of  folding 
themselves  up  at  night,  and  to  whom  such  an  opera- 
tion is  agreeable. 


224  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Frankfort.  Jews'  quarters.  A  noble  mother. 

Frankfort  has  much  to  interest  for  a  day  or  two. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  fertile  and  fine  country.  It  is 
famous  as  a  free  city,  and  for  its  ancient  love  of  repub- 
licanism, when  that  form  of  government  was  at  a  great 
discount  in  Europe.  It  early  embraced  the  doctrines 
of  the  Reformation,  and  most  of  its  people  are  now 
Lutherans.  The  new  part  of  the  city  is  very  fine  ;  the 
houses  of  the  many  rich  bankers  are  really  palaces. 
The  old  Cathedral  is  a  very  peculiar  and  unarchitect- 
ural  building,  and  would  seem  to  be  the  joint  product 
of  different  architects  greatly  differing  in  taste  and 
judgment,  and  neither  yielding  to  the  other.  It  was 
in  this  massive  and  ungainly  building  that  the  em- 
perors of  Germany  were  crowned  for  many  years.  We 
went  to  the  Jews'  quarters,  where  for  many  years  they 
were  shut  up  after  a  certain  hour  in  the  evening,  and 
feared  for  a  time  that  we  were  lost  beyond  hope,  but 
finally  got  out  of  the  narrow  labyrinth,  and  got  back 
in  safety  to  our  hotel.  The  sons  of  Abraham,  wearing 
that  mark  on  their  visage  which  designates  them 
equally  under  tropical  suns  and  polar  snows,  were  there 
in  hundreds.  It  was  in  these  narrow  alleys  the  father 
of  the  Rothschilds  laid  the  foundation  of  their  great 
fortune.  Nor  would  his  widow  desert  her  humble 
abode  among  old  clothes  and  the  poor  of  her  people 
for  the  splendid  palaces  of  her  sons ;  preferring  an 
abode  among  her  own  downtrodden  and  despised  peo- 
ple to  all  the  trappings  and  attentions  which  their  more 
than  regal  wealth  could  purchase.  A  fitting  mother 
for  such  sons.  All  honor  upon  such  unwavering  affec- 
tion, even  when  fastidious  and  ill-directed. 

The  history  of  this  wonderful  family  has  its  lessons. 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  225 

The  Rothschilds.  The  lessons  taught  by  them. 

Mayer  Anselm  was  "born  in  this  city,  in  1743,  and 
died  in  1812.  Left  an  orphan  at  eleven  years,  he  was 
educated  for  a  teacher.  Not  liking  this  employment, 
he  commenced  business  in  a  small  way.  He  was  sub- 
sequently employed  in  a  banking-house  in  Hanover. 
By  industry  and  frugality  he  saved  some  money,  and 
returning  to  Frankfort,  he  established  a  banking-house 
of  his  own,  which  is  still  in  existence.  Before  he  was 
fifty  years  of  age,  he  loaned  the  Danish  government 
four  millions  of  dollars !  After  the  manner  of  his  peo- 
ple, he  called  his  sons  around  his  dying  bed,  and  his 
last  words  to  them  were  respecting  honesty,  frugality, 
punctuality,  and  industry.  And  in  twelve  years  these 
sons  raised  for  different  governments  in  Europe  five 
hundred  millions  of  dollars — proving  them  to  be  the 
most  wealthy  and  extended  banking  firm  in  the  world. 
Their  great  success  they  attribute  to  two  causes — to 
adopt  no  project  until  examined  and  sanctioned  by 
them  all,  and  then  unitedly  to  execute  it ;  and  to  aim 
less  at  great  profits  than  at  entire  security.  Simple  in 
their  plans,  reasonable  in  their  terms,  true  to  their 
contracts,  and  punctual  to  every  engagement,  they 
enjoy  the  entire  confidence  of  the  civilized  world  as 
bankers.  Their  letter  of  credit  will  carry  a  traveler, 
without  question,  round  the  globe.  And  their  man- 
ners are  as  simple  as  their  credit  is  extended.  Are  not 
principles  involved  and  lessons  taught  by  this  brief 
narrative  worthy  the  attention  of  all  men  of  business  ? 
Is  not  honesty  the  best  policy  ? 

Rising  early  in  the  morning  from  that  very  short 
bed  in  that  Hotel  Russie,  and  regaining  as  I  could  my 
usual  dimensions,  we  were  away  for  Cassel,  opposite 
K  2 


226  MEN     AND     THINGS 

The  Rhine.  Ruins.  Rhine  and  Hudson. 

Mayence,  on  the  Rhine.  The  boat  was  in  readiness, 
and  soon  we  were  steaming  it  at  a  rapid  rate  for  Co- 
logne. From  Mayence  to  Bonn  the  scenery  of  the  river 
is  very  fine,  and  is  constantly  changing.  Ruins  dat- 
ing hack  to  the  Middle  Ages  crown  every  hill.  As  the 
river  was  the  great  channel  of  communication  between 
the  countries  extending  from  the  Alps  to  the  North 
Sea,  there  were  land  pirates  who  erected  toll-gates 
upon  its  waters,  and  who  plundered  all  who  would  not 
acknowledge  their  authority  and  pay  the  required  toll. 
The  castles,  whose  ruins  are  every  where  visible,  were 
built  by  these  robbers.  When  their  insolence  and  rob-  ' 
beries  were  beyond  endurance,  the  trading  towns 
formed  a  league,  raised  a  sufficient  force  and  routed 
these  robbers,  and  demolished  their  castles.  Such  is 
the  brief  history  of  those  ruins,  in  which  alone  the 
Rhine  can  claim  any  superiority  to  the  Hudson.  If 
old  dilapidating  walls  crowned  all  the  mountains  and 
beetling  cliffs  between  New  York  and  Albany — if  at 
every  bend  of  the  river,  and  on  every  head-land,  there 
was  something  to  suggest  legends  of  robbers,  stories  of 
battles  fought  and  won,  and  associations  running  back 
a  thousand  years — in  every  point  in  which  they  could 
be  compared  the  North  River  would  be  superior  to  the 
Rhine.  People  forget  to  what  a  degree  their  wonder 
and  exclamations  are  the  effects  of  association.  Bat- 
ing associations,  the  Rhine  nowhere  surpasses  in  wild 
grandeur  the  Highlands  about  West  Point ;  nor,  after 
you  get  out  of  sight  of  the  Alps,  has  it  any  view  to  be 
compared  to  the  Catskill  Mountains.  A  few  hours  in 
a  rapid  boat  down  a  rapid  current  brought  us  to  our 
point  of  destination,  Cologne,  where,  in  the  Hotel  Hoi- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE. 


227 


Cologne.  Cathedral.  Sights. 

lande,  we  found  very  pleasant  *  accommodations,  the 
windows  overlooking  the  river  and  the  country  beyond. 
This  city,  famous  in  all  the  earth  for  its  "  eau  de 
Cologne,'"  is  pleasantly  located,  and  very  strongly  for- 
tified. It  is  of  ancient  date,  has  a  varied  history,  and 
nothing  but  its  Dom  to  attract  the  least  notice.  Less 
than  ten  of  its  eighty  thousand  inhabitants  are  Protest- 
ants ;  and  hence,  as  we  might  expect,  the  churches 
abound  in  miracle-working  relics.  We  issued  out  to 
see  the  Dom,  as  the  Cathedral  is  called,  and  soon 
learned  its  direction  by  the  old  crane  which  yet  sur- 
mounts the  not  half-finished  tower.  As  far  as  it  goes, 
it  is  the  richest  specimen  extant  of  the  old  German 
architecture.  Although  six  centuries  have  passed 
away  since  its  foundations  were  laid,  it  is  not  yet  one 
half  completed  ;  and  while  the  stones  in  some  part  of 
it  are  new,  and  recently  carved  and  laid,  in  other  por- 
tions of  it  even  the  stones  are  crumbling  away.  In  this 
it  is  a  type  of  the  Papal  Church  to  which  it  belongs. 

On  a  warm  pleasant  day,  we  wandered  around  its 
cold,  vacant,  but  spaoious  interior.  Nothing  impresses 
but  its  vastness  and  the  finely  stained  windows.  We 
saw  there  a  case  containing  Mary  and  Bambino,  and 
other  precious  relics.  The  case  is  hung  over  with  legs 
and  arms,  heads  and  hearts,  made  of  some  kind  of 
composition,  as  votive  offerings  for  cures  performed  by 
the  image  and  the  relics  !  And  before  that  box  there 
were  three  persons  praying  most  earnestly  ;  they  were 
an  old  man,  and  a  woman  that  would  not  be  injured  by 
a  good  washing,  and  a  girl  with  sore  eyes  ;  while  some 
women  were  scrubbing  the  stone  floor  and  screaming 
at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  some  dirty  boys  were 
playing  hide-and-go-seek  among  the  pillars. 


228  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Three  Kings.  Pnshing  a  bargain.  St.  Ursula. 

Behind  the  high  altar,  to  which  none  are  admitted 
without  "  a  compensation,"  there  is  a  box  which  con- 
tains the  relics  of  the  Three  Kings,  or  wise  men,  that 
worshiped  the  Savior.  A  shaven-pated  man  carried  the 
keys,  and  he  drives  a  hard  bargain  for  the  good  of  the 
Church.  He  offered  to  admit  us  to  a  sight  of  the  sa- 
cred relics  for  six  francs  a  head.  But  as  there  were 
several  of  us,  we  strove  to  lump  a  bargain  with  him  ; 
but  he  declined,  thinking  we  would  pay  the  sum  re- 
quired. But  as  he  was  stiff,  we  declined,  obviously  to 
his  mortification,  to  go  in  at  any  price.  Finding  that 
neither  our  superstition  nor  our  curiosity  were  as  in- 
tense as  he  suspected,  he  proposed  terms  ;  but  we  de- 
clined, telling  him  we  believed  the  whole  a  hoax  at  any 
rate.  This  gave  the  jolly  man  not  the  least  offense,  as 
he  believed  the  same  as  firmly  as  we  did.  Popery  is 
the  same  unchanging  nonsense  every  where.  We  ask- 
ed the  jolly  beadle  what  they  did  with  the  money  col- 
lected from  travelers  and  others  by  these  relics :  "We 
use  it  for  the  finishing  of  the  Dom,"  was  his  reply. 
Judging  from  the  dilapidation  and  leanness  of  the 
house,  and  the  dress  and  sleek  fatness  of  the  priests, 
we  inferred  that  some  of  it,  at  least,  took  a  different  di- 
rection ;  nor  would  any  one  say,  that  saw  their  stall- 
fed  reverences  tripping  in  and  out,  that  this  was  a  vio- 
lent inference. 

Here  also  is  the  church  of  St.  Ursula,  a  female  saint, 
who,  with  eleven  thousand  virgins,  sailed  from  Britain 
to  convert  or  populate  Armorica.  They  were  driven  by 
storm  up  the  Rhine  to  Cologne,  where  they  were  mur- 
dered by  the  barbarians,  because  of  their  unyielding 
virtue.     And  this  church  is  hung  round  with  their 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  229 

Fleet  of  girls.  The  absurd  preferred.  Bridge. 

bones !  Think  of  eleven  thousand  skeletons  hung  round 
one  church !  Where  did  Ursula  get  boats  enough  for 
such  a  fleet  of  girls  ?  Why,  in  a  terrific  storm,  did 
they  not  land  before  reaching  Cologne  ?  How  often 
must  these  bones  have  been  renewed  from  the  5th  to 
the  19th  century?  And  even  the  wonderful  legend- 
monger,  Butler,  tells  us  that  there  is  a  doubt  whether 
the  virgins  of  Ursula  were  eleven  or  eleven  thousand. 
But  the  eleven  thousand,  because  the  most  absurd,  has 
the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  My  appetite  for  relics  was  so 
gorged  that  I  declined  a  visit  to  this  horrid  sepulchre. 
By  a  bridge  of  boats  Cologne  is  connected  with  a 
small  town  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Rhine.  In  the 
cool  of  the  evening,  that  bridge  was  crowded  with  per- 
sons promenading  back  and  forth,  fanned  by  the  cool 
breeze  from  the  water.  There  we  saw  some  of  the  high, 
and  much  of  the  low  life  of  the  city  of  St.  Ursula.  Co- 
logne is  a  Papal  city,  and  abounds  with  relics,  priests, 
and  beggars  ;  and,  although  cleaner  than  we  expected 
to  find  it,  there  are  spots  where  the  water  of  the  Fari- 
nas', for  which  it  is  so  famed,  would  not  be  unaccept- 
able. 


230  MEN     AND     THING 


From  Cologne.  Aix-la-Chapelle.  Antiques. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

From  Cologne  to  Brussels. — Aix-la-Chapelle  :  its  History  and  holy- 
Relics.— Brussels.— The  Pare.— Sabbath  in  Brussels.— St.  Gudule. 
—Preaching  in  Flemish. — A  sudden  Stop. — Anecdote  of  Dr.  Nes- 
bit. — High  Mass. — Lifting  the  Pay. — Tour  of  Observation.— Scenes 
in  the  Pare  and  Streets. —  The  Manikin:  his  curious  History. — 
The  miraculous  Wafers. 

"We  took  an  early  car  from  Cologne.  "We  passed 
through  dirty  streets  and  strong  fortifications  to  the 
railway  without  the  walls.  Although  our  baggage  was 
very  light,  they  charged  nearly  as  much  for  it  as  for  our 
passage.  The  country  to  Brussels  is  level,  and  highly 
cultivated,  with  quite  a  rapid  succession  of  large  towns ; 
the  most  important  of  which  are  Duren,  Aix-la-Cha- 
pelle, Verviers,  Liege,  Tirlemont,  and  Malines.  Of  these 
the  most  historic  is  Aix-la-Chapelle.  Here  Charle- 
magne was  born — this  was  his  favorite  city,  and  here 
is  his  tomb.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  in  a  cup  sur- 
rounded by  hills,  on  which  there  are  many  beautiful 
residences.  It  was  built  by  the  Romans,  pillaged  by 
the  Huns,  rebuilt  by  Charlemagne,  and  here  the  em- 
perors of  Germany  were  crowned,  until  the  ceremony 
was  removed  to  Frankfort  in  the  fourteenth  century. 
It  is  almost  entirely  a  Papal  city,  and  is  of  course  rich 
in  relics.  In  the  Cathedral  is  the  tomb  of  Charlemagne, 
and  some  antiques  of  priceless  value.  Among  these 
are  the  swaddling-clothes  of  the  Savior  and  his  wind- 
ing-sheet, the  robe  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  tho  shroud  of 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  231 

Relics.  Golden  key.  Brussels. 

John  the  Baptist,  some  of  the  manna  which  fell  in  the 
wilderness,  the  girdle  of  Christ,  the  linen  and  some  of 
the  hair  of  the  Virgin,  and  a  fragment  of  the  true  cross. 
Some  of  these  were  only  exposed  to  royal  visitors ;  hut 
now  they  are  exhibited  every  seven  years  to  the  adora- 
tion of  the  faithful  of  every  grade,  when  pilgrims  resort 
here  from  all  lands  to  see  them,  and  to  receive  healing 
from  their  sight  and  touch ! !  Others  of  them  are  ex- 
hibited even  to  the  gaze  of  heretics  "for  a  compensa- 
tion ;"  and  if  your  golden  key  is  large  enough  to  suit 
the  sacristan,  you  may  have  a  peep  even  at  the  swad- 
dling-clothes !  In  this  way  large  revenues  are  yearly 
obtained  from  Protestants  desirous  to  see  curiosities, 
and  who  are  often  laughed  at  by  roguish  sacristans  for 
their  credulity.  The  object  of  all  these  base  imposi- 
tions is  to  raise  a  revenue.  The  other  towns  are  more 
or  less  noted  for  the  extent  and  perfection  of  their  man- 
ufactures, especially  those  of  Yerviers,  Liege,  and  Ma- 
lines,  famous  for  its  Mechlin  laces  and  shovel  hats  for 
priests.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Brussels, 
the  capital  of  Belgium,  and  soon  found  ourselves  very 
pleasantly  accommodated  in  the  Hotel  de  France,  which 
looks  out  upon  the  beautiful  Pare. 

Brussels  is  a  pleasant,  airy,  and  attractive  city,  with 
many  fine  streets  and  parks,  and  wearing  a  general  as- 
pect which  forcibly  recalls  your  recollections  of  Paris. 
Indeed,  it  has  been  called  "petit  Paris."  And  nowhere 
are  you  so  forcibly  reminded  of  the  city  on  the  Seine 
as  in  and  around  "  the  Pare,"  bounded  by  the  Rue  Roy- 
ale  and  Rue  Ducale,  and  having  the  palace  at  one  end 
and  the  representative  chamber  on  the  other.  The 
trees  are  old  and  magnificent,  shading  all  the  walks ; 


232  MEN     AND     THINGS 

The  Pare.  St.  Gudule.  Art  and  architecture. 

and  beneath  the  trees  and  along  all  the  walks  are 
pieces  of  statuary  more  or  less  elegant,  and  in  varying 
states  of  preservation,  as  in  the  gardens  of  theTuileries 
and  the  Place  de  Concorde.  The  city  was  once  strongly 
fortified,  but  the  walls  are  demolished,  and  the  place 
they  once  occupied  is  laid  out  so  as  to  form  a  beauti- 
ful drive  around  the  entire  city.  Some  of  the  public 
buildings  are  very  fine,  but  they  should  be  seen  before 
making  a  continental  tour,  instead  of  at  the  close  of 
it,  as  in  our  case. 

We  spent  a  Sabbath  in  Brussels,  the  last  we  spent 
in  a  Papal  country,  and  among  a  people  of  a  strange 
tongue.  As  there  was  no  Protestant  service  in  our  own 
tongue,  we  went  to  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Grudule  in  the 
morning  to  see  the  home  dress  of  Popery  in  one  of  its 
strong-holds.  This  is  a  fine  specimen  of  Gothic  archi- 
tecture, and  has  all  the  elements  of  a  Cathedral — no 
seats — many  chairs — painted  windows — a  spacious  in- 
terior— many  altars  and  confession-boxes,  and  a  profu- 
sion of  gilding.  The  painted  windows  are  very  fine. 
Its  internal  appearance  is  very  meagre  in  comparison 
with  the  churches  of  Rome.  In  Rome  every  thing 
yields  to  the  interior.  A  building  which  externally 
has  no  attraction,  like  that  of  Ara  Coeli,  is  internally 
gorgeous,  and  rich  in  painting  and  statuary  ;  but  out 
of  Italy  it  would  seem  as  if  architecture  was  the  great 
idea,  and  to  which  every  thing  is  made  to  yield.  Art 
rules  south — architecture  north  of  the  Alps. 

We  went  to  St.  Gudule  before  the  hour  for  high 
mass,  which  was  that  day  performed.  A  priest  was 
preaching  in  the  Flemish  to  quite  an  audience  of  peo- 
ple, and  the  waiters  were  arranging  the  chairs  and 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  233 

Preaching.  Anecdote.  Lifting  the  pay. 

moving  in  every  direction  making  arrangements  for  the 
high  ceremony.  People  were  walking  about  and  chat- 
ting with  one  another.  A  more  inattentive  audience 
could  not  be  desired ;  and  were  I  the  preacher,  I  could 
not  endure  the  confusion.  Just  as  the  clock  struck 
ten,  a  beadle  walked  up  the  pulpit-stairs,  the  preacher 
closed  his  discourse  in  an  instant,  crossed  himself  and 
walked  down  and  away,  the  beadle  leading  the  van. 
The  instance  forcibly  recalled  another  anecdote  of  Dr. 
Nesbit.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  preaching  sermons  in 
the  good  long  metre  of  Scotland.  A  committee  waited 
on  him,  and  kindly  hinted  that  short  metre  would  be 
more  acceptable  to  many  of  the  people.  On  inquiry,  he 
learned  that  a  sermon  an  hour  long  would  suit  them 
all ;  he  assented  to  the  shortening.  On  the  next  Sab- 
bath, just  as  the  hour  was  drawing  to  its  close,  he  be- 
came exceedingly  animated,  interesting,  eloquent,  and 
impressive.  In  the  midst  of  a  highly- wrought  passage, 
the  hour  ended  ;  and,  without  waiting  to  conclude  the 
sentence,  he  closed  his  Bible,  paused  for  a  moment, 
and  said,  "  Brethren,  your  hour  is  out ;  let  us  pray." 

On  the  retiring  of  the  preacher,  the  mass  commenced, 
and  the  people  turned  from  the  pulpit  to  the  altar. 
"We  never  saw  priests  more  richly  robed.  The  vest- 
ments at  St.  G-udule  far  surpassed  those  worn  in  the 
Sistine  or  in  St.  Peter's.  Nor  did  we  ever  see  in  a 
Popish  church  a  more  numerous  or  respectable  congre- 
gation. But,  with  slight  variations,  it  was  the  same 
ridiculous  farce  of  the  mass  over  again ;  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  high  ceremony,  an  interstice  was  left  for 
"lifting  the  pay"  from  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
that  sat  on  a  chair.     And  it  seemed  to  us  most  singu- 


234  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Money-changers.  Sabbath  parade.  Evening  walk. 

lar  to  see  the  collectors  paying  back  the  change  to  those 
who  gave  silver.  For  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
the  whole  house  was  turned  into  an  exchange,  in  every 
part  of  which  was  heard  the  jingling  of  coppers.  And 
we  thought  of  the  money-changers  in  the  Temple. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  out  on  a  tour  of  moral  in- 
spection. In  the  midst  of  "  the  Pare"  rises  a  mound, 
and  on  that  mound  rises  a  building  in  the  form  of  a 
canopy,  in  which  was  a  very  large  band  of  musicians. 
Around  this  mound  is  a  wide  circular  walk  finely 
shaded  with  magnificent  trees,  and  filled  on  both  sides 
with  chairs.  The  band  on  each  fair  Sabbath  day 
commences  playing  at  one  o'clock,  and  continues  to 
three  ;  and  during  the  intervening  time,  the  entire 
Pare  is  filled  with  the  elite,  the  fashion,  the  gay  attire 
of  Brussels.  The  band  plays,  and  the  people — men, 
women,  and  children — all  march.  We  never  beheld 
such  luxury  of  dress  as  was  there  worn  by  the  ladies. 

The  sight  would  have  been  gorgeous  and  fascinating 
were  it  not  for  its  flagrant  violation  of  the  Sabbath. 
From  the  Pare  we  went  out  among  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal streets  ;  the  shops  were  all  open,  and  most  gayly 
decorated,  and  were  filled  with  purchasers,  among 
whom  we  recognized  many  priests.  "We  went  to  the 
most  fashionable  church  in  the  city  to  evening  mass, 
in  which  we  counted  three  men  and  about  two  hund- 
red women  and  children.  After  dusk  we  took  another 
stroll  through  the  city.  The  shops  were  crowded — 
porter-houses  and  cafes  were  all  open,  and  crowded 
with  men  and  women  !  the  women  often  more  numer- 
ous than  the  men !  Such  was  the  state  of  things  on 
this  beautiful  Sabbath,  in  the  beautiful  little  city  of 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  235 

Thanksgiving.  The  Manikin.  His  importance. 

Brussels.  Another  item  in  proof  of  the  fact  that  Pop- 
ery knows  no  Sabbath.  And  as  I  retired  to  rest,  I 
uttered  my  sincere  thanksgiving  to  Grod  that  this  was 
the  last  Sabbath  I  expected  to  spend  amid  the  institu- 
tions of  Popery,  and  among  people  of  a  strange  tongue. 
The  city  is  ornamented  and  supplied  with  seven 
fountains,  among  which  are  Les  Fontaines  des  Fleuves 
and  the  Manikin.  This  latter  is  the  bronze  figure  of 
an  urchin-boy  about  two  feet  high,  who  discharges  a 
stream  of  water  in  a  natural  way.  The  people  of  the 
city  regard  the  questionable  figure  with  great  venera- 
tion, as  the  palladium  of  their  rights  and  liberties. 
The  fate  of  the  city  is  superstitiously  regarded  as  iden- 
tified with  the  fate  of  this  not  very  modest  boy  of 
bronze.  "When  stolen,  as  has  been  frequently  the  case, 
his  loss  was  regarded  as  a  public  calamity  ;  and  his 
restoration  has  been  always  commemorated  with  fetes. 
Princes  have  courted  popularity  with  the  people  by 
presenting  him  with  court  dresse*s,  and  military  honors 
and  orders.  The  Elector  of  Bavaria  gave  him  a  splen- 
did wardrobe  and  a  valet  de  chambre.  Louis  XV. 
made  him  a  knight,  and  presented  him  with  a  suit  of 
uniform.  This  little  gentleman  is  dressed  up  on  cer- 
tain days,  when  the  city  turns  out  to  do  him  honor. 
He  possesses  a  positive  revenue,  which  is  regularly  paid 
to  him  ;  but  how  he  spends  it  we  could  not  learn.  It 
was  suggested  that  some  bishop  or  monk  was  his  treas- 
urer. As  the  suggestion  is  not  unreasonable,  we  may 
readily  conjecture  what  becomes  of  the  revenue  of  "  Sir 
Manikin."  He  has  become  rather  republican  in  his 
notions,  and,  since  1830,  wears  the  uniform  of  the 
"  G-arde  Civique,"  in  preference  to  those  of  his  royal 


236  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Wicked  craft.  Three  wafers. 

donors.  And  as  we  gazed  upon  the  little  urchin  filling 
the  kettles  and  vessels  of  men  and  women  who  came 
to  him  for  water,  we  were  amazed  at  the  stupid  super- 
stition of  the  people,  and  at  the  wicked  craft  of  kings 
and  princes  who  could  seek  to  ingratiate  themselves 
with  the  people  by  heaping  honors  upon  such  a  baw- 
ble  !  Had  the  priests  done  this  it  would  be  all  in  their 
line.  But  they  are  not  without  their  fraudulent  relics 
in  Brussels  ;  they  have  in  the  Cathedral  the  three  mi- 
raculously consecrated  wafers,  said  to  have  been  stolen 
by  the  Jews  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  to  have 
been  discovered  by  their  miraculous  spouting  of  blood 
when  pierced  with  a  spear  by  an  unbeliever !  These 
are  shown  "for  a  compensation,"  and  are  annually  ex- 
hibited with  great  pomp  for  the  veneration  of  the 
faithful !     0  priests,  priests,  where  are  your  blushes  ? 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  237 

Waterloo.  First  view.  Belgian  lion. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

To  Waterloo.— The  Village.— The  Field.— Just  the  Place  for  the 
Battle. — The  dreadful  Spot. — Feelings  excited  there. — Conjectures. 
— Justice  to  Bonaparte. — What  has  England  gained] — Through 
Flanders  to  Ostend.— The  Hulk.— Rapid  Flight. 

We  took  an  early  breakfast  in  Brussels,  and  started 
for  Waterloo,  at  the  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles. 
Without  being  as  bad  as  many  travelers  would  repre- 
sent it,  the  road  and  ride  through  the  forest  of  Soignies 
is  not  very  interesting.  We  went  on  with  rapid  pace, 
and  at  about  nine  o'clock  we  were  in  Waterloo,  a  most 
miserable-looking  village.  As  we  approached  it  we 
were  beset  by  many  learned  in  the  localities  of  the 
place,  and  most  kindly  offering  their  services  as  guides. 
We  employed  a  resident  of  the  place,  who  most  kindly 
introduced  us  to  his  wife  and  daughter,  who  had  relics 
collected  from  the  battle-field  to  sell.  We  proceed  to 
the  scene  of  carnage,  and  from  the  position  which 
Wellington  occupied,  and  where  he  uttered  the  com- 
mand, "  Up,  and  be  at  them  !"  we  took  our  first,  delib- 
erate, silent  view  of  the  field  of  blood.  Nor  is  there  a 
solitary  thing  to  arrest  your  attention  in  the  field  itself. 
If  that  artificial  pile  of  clay  called  "  La  Montagne  du 
Lion,"  surmounted  by  the  Belgian  lion  with  his  paw 
upon  a  globe,  to  represent  little  Belgium  as  governing 
this  big  world,  were  scattered,  as  it  ought  to  be,  over 
the  plain  from  which  it  was  collected — if  the  monu- 
ments here  and  there  erected  to  commemorate  the 


238  MEN     AND     THINGS 

The  field  itself.  The  bloody  furrow. 

military  virtues  of  men  that  were  there  made  to  bite 
the  dust,  were  removed — if  the  great  contest  which  there 
decided  the  peace  of  Europe  could  be  forgotten,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  select  a  more  uninteresting  dead- 
level  view  than  that  which  opens  up  before  you.  The 
plain  extends,  rich  in  cultivation,  but  level  as  the  sea, 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  on  three  sides,  and  the 
forest  of  Soignies  lies  on  the  other.  And  yet  one  can 
readily  conceive  that  it  was  just  the  place  to  fight  such 
a  great  battle.  There  are  no  fences  or  ditches  to  arrest 
the  movements  of  men,  artillery,  or  cavalry.  There 
are  no  hiding-places  for  cowards.  An  elevation  of  less 
than  one  hundred  feet  would  enable  a  commander  to 
review  the  army  of  Xerxes  ;  and,  until  I  looked  over 
the  wide,  level  plain,  I  had  no  conception  of  a  position 
where  two  armies,  so  vast  in  number,  could  fight,  re- 
treat, deploy — where  cavalry  could  rush  to  the  aid  of 
infantry — where  flying  artillery  could  appear  and  fire, 
and,  before  the  smoke  of  the  cannon  had  risen  from  the 
earth,  be  out  of  the  reach  of  the  shot  of  the  enemy.  It 
is  just  the  place  for  such  a  fierce  and  fearful  conflict. 

About  a  mile  beyond  the  insignificant  village  or 
hamlet  of  Waterloo,  you  reach  an  eminence  which 
rises  on  the  vast  plain  like  a  wave  on  the  sea.  You 
pass  down  into  what  may  be  regarded  as  the  furrow  of 
the  wave,  and  ascend  another  wave  at  a  short  distance. 
Along  the  ridge  of  the  first  wave  the  British  forces, 
under  Wellington,  were  drawn  up  ;  on  the  ridge  of  the 
other,  the  French,  under  Napoleon.  And  the  furrow 
between  them  was  the  scene  of  awful  carnage.  On 
the  18th  of  June,  1815,  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men  lined  these  ridges,  nearly  equally  divided  by  the 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  239 

Wellington's  position.  Napoleon's.  How  it  looked. 

vale  between  them.  The  battle  commenced  about 
noon,  and  lasted  until  night.  And  there  I  was  stand- 
ing on  the  very  spot  where  Wellington  exclaimed,  when 
the  battle  was  obviously  against  him,  "  0  that  Blucher 
or  night  might  come  !"  and  a  little  further  on  is  the 
spot  where,  inspirited  by  the  appearance  of  the  Prus- 
sians, he  gave  the  brief  order  to  a  concealed  prostrate 
company,  "  Up,  and  at  them  !"  as  the  "  Old  Gruard" 
was  crossing  the  valley  under  the  brave  Ney.  We 
walked  over  the  valley,  on  that  fearful  day  crowded 
with  the  heroic  dead,  and  flowing  with  blood,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  we  were  on  the  spot  where  Napoleon 
stood  when  he  ordered  his  Imperial  Guard,  which  had 
never  been  conquered,  and  which  was  the  terror  of 
Europe,  to  the  deadly  breach  under  Ney,  saying, 
"  This,  gentlemen,  is  the  road  to  Brussels!"  Never 
was  an  attack  more  valorously  made  ;  never  was  an 
attack  more  firmly  met  or  more  fearfully  repulsed. 
Under  the  awful  and  repeated  fire  of  the  British,  the 
Guard  recoiled,  soon  was  thrown  into  confusion,  and 
the  field  of  Waterloo  was  lost  to  Napoleon  ! 

It  was  on  the  last  day  of  June  we  wandered  over 
this  field  of  blood.  And  the  two  eminences — where 
stood  the  two  greatest  generals  of  modern  days — were 
waving  with  yellow  wheat,  and  the  valley  that  divides 
them  was  bearing  rich  grass  ready  for  the  scythe  of 
the  mower.  And  every  thing  seemed  as  quiet  as  if 
the  roaring  of  canon  was  never  there  heard,  and  as  in- 
nocent as  if  the  cruel  war  had  never  there  perpetrated 
the  bloodiest  acts  known  in  the  annals  of  the  world. 
And  standing  by  the  tomb  of  one  of  the  heroic  dead, 
and  in  view  of  the  unsightly  mountain,  two  hundred 


240  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Emotions.  Napoleon.  Conjectures. 

feet  high,  beneath  which  the  bones  of  friends  and  foes 
lie  peaceful  in  death,  I  felt  intensely  moved  in  view 
of  the  awful  carnage  of  that  battle — of  the  destinies  it 
decided — of  the  wailing  and  lamentation  which  it 
spread  through  Europe,  whose  every  country  and  island 
made  some  contribution  to  its  piles  of  dead — and  of  the 
subsequent  fate  of  the  chief  actors  in  the  bloody  tragedy. 
There  the  star  of  Napoleon  set  to  rise  no  more  ;  Napo- 
leon, the  greatest  military  genius  of  a  hundred  ages, 
and  of  the  most  capacious  and  comprehensive  intellect. 
And  while  walking  over  the  ground  where  the  last 
tragic  scene  of  his  great  military  life  was  enacted, 
every  sympathy  of  my  heart  went  out  toward  the  fall- 
en chieftain,  whose  history  is  yet  to  be  truly  written, 
and  whose  motives  and  character  will  yet  be  placed 
in  their  true  light. 

If  victory  had  followed  the  great  hero  to  Waterloo, 
as  to  Jena,  Austerlitz,  Marengo,  and  Lodi,  we  may  not 
be  able  to  conjecture  what  results  would  have  follow- 
ed, but  we  may  state  what  would  not  have  followed. 
The  old  Bourbon  dynasty,  restored  by  the  Holy  Alli- 
ance, would  not  have  again  cursed  France.  Bloody 
Austria  would  never  have  reached  her  present  bad  pre- 
eminence in  the  politics  of  Europe.  Russia  would  not 
sit  as  now  upon  her  icy  throne,  hurling  defiance  at  all 
national  aspirations  after  freedom,  and  coolly  contem- 
plating the  speediest  and  easiest  way  of  converting  into 
Cossacks  all  the  people  and  nations  from  the  North  Cape 
to  the  Dardanelles,  and  from  the  "Volga  at  least  to  the 
Rhine,  if  not  to  the  English  Channel.  Poland  would 
not  have  been  blotted  from  the  map  of  the  world.  The 
tragedy  of  Hungary  would  not  have  been  enacted.    The 


AS    SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  241 

Object  of  Bonaparte.  England's  gain. 

fearful  murders  perpetrated  in  the  name  of  justice,  and 
for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  the  claims  of  legitima- 
cy, which  have  stained  every  nation  of  Continental 
Europe,  would  not  have  occurred.  The  Two  Sicilies, 
as  now,  would  not  be  groaning  under  burdens  beyond 
human  endurance.  And  Popery,  as  now,  would  not 
be  arrogantly  asserting  its  exploded  claims,  and  mak- 
ing of  even  its  mutilated  and  paralyzed  form  an  argu- 
ment for  the  admission  of  those  claims  !  It  was  not 
with  the  progress  of  the  race,  but  with  the  permanen- 
cy of  despotic  institutions,  religious  and  civil,  that  Bo- 
naparte warred.  He  was  ambitious,  but  it  was  to  car- 
ry his  objects.  And  if  that  ambition  took  the  form  of 
selfishness  and  of  self-aggrandizement,  it  was  the  bet- 
ter to  carry  his  objects.  If  he  could  do  his  work  as 
well  by  being  consul  or  president  as  by  being  emper- 
or, he  would  have  preferred  it.  And  we  have  faith  to 
believe  that  his  conduct,  which  lay  in  the  direction  of 
selfishness,  was  not  of  choice,  but  of  necessity.  If  he 
were  as  bad  a  man  as  British  historians  of  the  Tory 
school  would  represent  him,  it  is  impossible  that  he 
could  be,  as  he  now  is,  enshrined  in  the  heart  of  hearts 
of  the  French  nation.  It  is  not  in  human  nature  to 
make  a  demi-god  of  the  devil. 

And  what  has  England  gained,  save  a  monstrous 
national  debt,  by  the  overthrow  of  Napoleon  ?  She 
mainly  contributed  to  that  end  :  without  her  men  and 
means,  the  French  would  have  swept  all  the  other  al- 
lies from  the  field  of  Waterloo  by  the  first  fire  of  her 
cannon.  And  what  has  she  gained  in  Europe  by  her 
service  ?  Absolutely  nothing  that  she  would  not  now 
have  if  she  had  cultivated  friendly  relations  with  the 

L 


242  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Results  of  the  battle.  Guide.  Ostend  to  Dover. 

empire  and  its  emperor,  while  Europe  besides  would 
be  in  all  respects  the  gainer.  The  defeat  of  Napoleon 
at  Waterloo  was  the  triumph  of  despotism  over  free- 
dom—  of  divine  right  over  the  rights  of  the  people; 
and  well  and  nobly  did  Robert  Hall  exclaim,  when  he 
heard  of  the  victory  of  Wellington  at  Waterloo,  M  That 
battle  audits  results  seem  to  me  to  have  put  back  the 
clock  of  the  world  six  degrees."  And  England  may 
yet  reap  the  rewards  of  her  evil  doing  in  her  constant 
and  successful  opposition  to  the  plans  and  projects  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

We  paid  our  guide  ;  and,  although  we  gave  him  the 
wages  of  a  whole  day  for  a  few  hours,  he  besought  us 
for  "  charity."  We  returned  to  Brussels,  and  late  in 
the  afternoon  took  the  cars  for  Ostend.  Although  our 
road  lay  through  Flanders,  and  the  cities  of  Ghent  and 
Bruges,  such  was  the  rapidity  of  our  travel  that  we 
could  see  but  little.  Nor  did  we  stop  at  Ostend  long 
enough  to  have  any  experience  of  its  odors,  which  are 
said  to  be  not  quite  agreeable.  We  hastened  on  board 
"  The  English  and  Belgian  Roval  Mail  Steamer,"  of 
which  we  might  say  all  that  we  said,  and  more, of  the 
boat  that  conveyed  us  from  Dover  to  Calais.  From 
ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  to  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, seven  mortal  hours,  we  spent  in  the  awful  hulk. 
The  fare  was  high,  and  there  was  no  place  for  repose 
save  the  floor  and  benches.  The  sea  was  calm ;  but 
the  thing  called  a  cabin  was  decidedly  hot.  We  could 
not  secure  even  a  drink  of  cold  water.  And  yet,  before 
we  reached  Dover,  two  officials  of  her  majesty  came 
upon  us  with  a  demand  for  half  a  dollar  each  for  at- 
tendance ! 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  243 

Flying.  In  London  again. 

We  were  on  the  field  of  Waterloo  at  twelve  o'clock 
on  Monday ;  were  in  Brussels  at  five ;  at  Ostend  at 
ten ;  in  Dover  at  five  in  the  morning  of  Tuesday  ;  and 
at  eight  we  were  at  breakfast  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
city  of  London.  This  seemed  more  like  annihilating 
distance  than  any  thing  we  had  yet  experienced.  And 
we  rendered  our  devout  thanks  to  (rod  that  we  were 
again  in  a  land  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  among 
a  people  whose  language  was  our  own. 


244  MEN     AND    THINGS 


Fleetwood.  Bathing-house.  Room- 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

Fleetwood. — Bathing  Establishment.  —  State-room  Companion. — 
Landing  in  Ireland. — Introduction  to  the  Assembly. — Dr.  Cook. — 
Dr.  Edgar.— Dr.  Stewart.— Dr.  Dobbin.— Dr.  Carlisle.— Dr.  Dill.— 
Dr.  Goudy.— An  excited  Scene.— Great  Speech  of  Dr.  Cook.— Two 
Bodies  compared. — The  Irish  Way. — A  more  excellent  Way. 

Learning,  on  reaching  London,  that  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ireland  had  com- 
menced its  annual  sessions  at  Belfast,  I  hastened  thith- 
er to  meet  it.  Taking  the  Express  train,  we  were  in 
a  few  hours  at  Fleetwood,  on  the  Irish  Sea.  This  is  a 
new  town,  and  is  rising  rapidly  as  a  bathing  and  wa- 
tering place.  There  is  here  the  largest,  neatest,  and 
most  convenient  bathing  establishment  I  ever  saw.  At 
high  tide,  the  salt  water  runs  into  a  reservoir ;  thence 
it  is  thrown  up  by  steam  power  into  an  immense  ba- 
sin; and  thence  it  is  conducted  by  pipes  to  all  the 
apartments,  which  seemed  endless.  The  engine  which 
pumps,  also  heats  water  for  tepid  baths ;  so  that  you 
can  swim,  plunge,  bathe,  or  take  the  shower,  in  cold 
or  warm  water,  at  any  range  of  the  thermometer,  at  a 
minute's  notice,  and  for  sixpence !  It  seemed  a  per- 
fect establishment. 

"  This  is  our  best  state-room,  and  you  can  have  the 
upper  berth  in  it,"  said  the  steward  to  me,  as  I  went 
on  board  the  steamer  for  Ireland.  Anxious  to  know 
who  would  occupy  the  lower  shelf,  I  asked  him  who 
would  be  my  room-mate.     "  Dr.  Cook,  a  minister  in 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  245 


Introduction.  Landing  in  Ireland.  Emotions. 

Belfast,"  was  his  reply ;  the  man  of  all  others  in  Ire- 
land I  wished  most  to  see.  Having  learned  who  he 
was,  I  eyed  him  with  all  the  powers  of  my  scrutiny. 
We  met  in  the  state-room.  We  each  commenced  grad- 
ual approaches — each  knew  the  name  of  the  other,  and 
soon  we  ventured  on  a  mutual  introduction.  Having 
tickled  each  other  a  little  after  the  Irish  fashion,  we 
went  to  our  shelves,  and  talked  until  the  claims  of  sleep 
hecame  irresistible.  The  night  was  fine,  hut  the  sea 
was  unquiet.  Amid  a  glowing  sun  and  a  refreshing 
air,  we  entered  the  bay  of  Belfast,  and  soon  reached 
the  quays  of  the  city.  And  as  I  went  forth  from  the 
deck  of  the  steamer  my  emotions  became  unutterable, 
and  I  could  not  help  exclaiming  with  joy, 

"  My  foot  it  treads  my  native  soil ; 
I  breathe  my  native  air." 

0  how  changed  in  years,  in  mind,  in  heart,  in  all  the 
circumstances  of  my  being,  from  what  I  was  when,  up- 
ward of  thirty  years  previous,  youthful,  unknown,  and 
friendless,  I  went  forth  from  that  land  to  seek  my  for- 
tune in  the  new  world  of  the  West !  Soon  I  was  in 
my  room  at  the  "  Imperial,"  where,  I  trust,  I  returned 
my  thanksgivings  to  Grod  for  his  varied  mercies  and 
goodness  during  the  many  years  intervening  between 
my  departure  and  my  return.  And  never  did  the  sweet 
hymn  of  Addison  possess  to  me  the  meaning  and  the 
unction  which  it  did  on  that  occasion  : 

"  When  all  thy  mercies,  O  my  God, 
My  rising  soul  surveys, 
Transported  with  the  view,  I'm  lost 
In  wonder,  love,  and  praise  !" 

As  soon  as  my  arrival  was  known,  Dr.  Dill  and  Mr. 


246  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Introduction  to  the  Assembly.  The  Assembly.  Dr.  Cook. 

Simpson,  well  known  in  America  and  highly  esteemed, 
waited  on  me  and  conducted  me  to  the  Assembly,  and 
introduced  me  to  many  of  its  leading  members.  Noth- 
ing could  be  more  cordial  than  their  hearty  welcome. 
On  the  arrival  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Brackenridge,  we  were  both, 
on  the  motion  of  Dr.  Dill,  seconded  by  Dr.  Edgar,  unan- 
imously invited  to  sit  in  the  Assembly,  and  to  take  part 
in  its  deliberations.  No  attention  that  Christian  court- 
esy could  suggest  was  withheld  from  us. 

The  Irish  General  Assembly,  unlike  that  of  Scotland 
and  of  the  United  States,  is  not  a  representative  body 
from  Presbyteries ;  it  is  rather  constituted  as  are  our  syn- 
ods. Every  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  kingdom,  con- 
nected with  any  of  its  Presbyteries,  is  entitled  to  a  seat, 
and  every  Church  is  entitled  to  its  delegate.  Consider- 
ing the  number  of  ministers  and  churches,  this  makes  a 
large  body  of  the  Assembly ;  far  too  large  for  calm,  ju- 
dicious deliberation.  All  that  we  saw  deeply  impress- 
ed us  with  this  conviction.  The  Assembly  seemed  to 
us  like  a  great  Presbyterian  mass-meeting,  where  ad- 
dresses are  made  for  popular  effect.  "With  one  tenth 
the  number  of  members,  it  would  have  done  as  wisely, 
and  more  calmly  and  rapidly. 

The  great  men  of  the  Church  were  there,  and  under 
sufficient  excitement  to  bring  out  all  their  peculiar  force 
and  talent.  Dr.  Cook  was  there,  of  middle  stature,  firm- 
ly built,  and,  although  advanced  in  life,  with  natural 
energies  unabated.  His  face  is  long,  his  nose  Roman, 
his  hair  and  eyes  gray,  his  lips  thin  and  compressed,  and 
his  forehead  expanded.  He  was  obviously  the  man  of 
the  House,  in  debate.  The  conflict  as  to  the  founding 
of  a  college  under  the  will  of  Mrs.  Magee,  between  her 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  247 

Dr.  Edgar.  Dr.  Stewart.  Dr.  Dobbin.  Dr.  Carlisle. 

trustees  and  the  Assembly,  excited  all  his  energies.  His 
invectives  are  terrible ;  his  acting  very  fine ;  his  wit 
keen ;  his  sarcasm  withering.  He  sometimes  fell  upon 
his  opponents  like  a  tornado.  Dr.  John  Edgar  was  there, 
rough  in  appearance,  not  handsome  in  form  or  feature, 
rather  inclining  to  a  semicircle  when  he  walks  or  sits, 
blunt  in  conversation,  honest  and  downright  in  his  opin- 
ions and  expression  of  them,  intelligent,  influential  in 
debate,  truly  and  subjectively  pious,  with  a  heart  as 
warm  as  ever  beat  in  an  Irishman's  body,  and  a  nature 
all  tending  to  the  poetic  and  philanthropic.  "  "Where," 
said  I,  as  I  entered  the  Assembly,  "is  Dr.  Edgar?" 
"  There  he  is  yonder,"  said  my  friend,  "  with  his  head 
between  his  knees."  No  man  in  Ireland  is  more  es- 
teemed or  useful.  And  Dr.  Stewart  was  there — since 
deceased — tall,  slender,  calm,  logical,  in  many  respects 
the  most  able  man  in  the  house,  and  obviously  a  lead- 
er. His  social  qualities  were  of  the  highest  order.  Dr. 
Dobbin  was  there,  fair  in  complexion,  rotund  in  form, 
of  fine  countenance,  and  always  wearing  glasses.  He 
often  spoke,  and  ably.  Dr.  Carlisle  was  there,  slender 
in  person,  tall,  with  a  fine  head,  thin  gray  hair,  tender 
eyes,  and  a  most  benevolent  expression.  He  was  very 
retiring.  I  did  not  hear  him  speak  once.  His  name 
is  revered  in  Ireland  for  his  great  piety  and  his  mission- 
ary labors.  Dr.  Duff  paid  him  a  most  glowing  tribute 
as  an  apostolical  missionary  in  one  of  his  Belfast  ora- 
tions. Dr.  Dill  was  there,  of  strong  muscular  develop- 
ment, which  was  sometimes  needed  in  his  conflicts 
with  the  priests ;  calm,  able  in  debate,  in  labors  abun- 
dant, and  esteemed  by  all  for  his  piety  and  for  his 
services  in  the  Irish  mission  field.    Mr.  Dill,  of  Dublin, 


248  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Mr.  Dill.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick.  Dr.  Goudy. 

was  there ;  short,  but  strongly  framed ;  able  in  debate ; 
and  as  one  of  the  trustees  of  Mrs.  Magee,  the  leader  of 
the  side  of  the  house  which  went  with  the  trustees  for 
the  location  of  the  college  in  Derry.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick 
was  there ;  small  in  person,  of  sandy  complexion,  al- 
ways wearing  glasses,  speaking  rarely,  but  beloved  for 
his  amiable,  unobtrusive  piety.  And  others  were  there, 
truly  Irish  in  appearance,  accent,  and  excitability,  and 
the  most  violent  men  I  ever  saw  in  a  deliberative  body, 
save  and  always  in  the  French  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
One  of  these  was  the  R,ev.  Dr.  Groudy,  whose  acquaint- 
ance I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  making.  His  excite- 
ment rose  at  times  almost  to  frenzy.  When  in  his 
highest  mood,  he  seemed  like  an  incarnation  of  passion. 

Although  warned  on  all  hands  not  to  judge  of  the 
Assembly  generally  by  what  I  had  seen  during  my  vis- 
it, I  will  describe  a  scene  which  I  witnessed  in  the 
church  of  Dr.  Cook. 

The  Assembly  met  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  adjourned  at  five  for  dinner ;  it  met  again  at  sev- 
en, and  often  sat  until  two  next  morning.  Dining  in 
company  with  several  eminent  clergymen,  we  did  not 
get  back  to  the  Assembly  until  about  eight  o'clock. 
The  church  was  densely  thronged ;  we  entered  from 
the  rear,  and  found  the  house  in  a  perfect  uproar.  The 
moderator  was  standing  and  calling  to  order ;  fifty  per- 
sons were  striving  to  speak :  one  would  cry  out,  "Vote ;" 
another,  "  No,  no ;"  another,  "  The  roll."  One  would 
rise,  shouting  "  I  rise  to  a  point  of  order ;"  another 
would  ask  for  "the  civil  power;"  another  would  shout, 
"  Turn  them  out!"  There  were  cheers  and  hisses  from 
the  crowded  galleries ;  these  were  echoed  from  the  floor,* 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  249 

An  excitement.  Dr.  Cook.  Two  Assemblies. 

and  now  and  then,  from  floor  to  roof,  nothing  was  heard 
but  confused  noises,  which  the  moderator  could  no  more 
quell  than  a  child  could  tame  a  tempest.  Dr.  Cook 
rose  in  the  middle  aisle,  and  got  the  admission  of  the 
chair  that  he  had  the  floor.  But  how  to  maintain  it 
and  go  on  was  the  question !  And  there  for  nearly  two 
hours  he  battled,  with  remarkable  skill  and  dexterity, 
the  storm,  repelling  assaults  from  all  sides,  and  admin- 
istering some  withering  rebukes  to  some  that  would 
interrupt  him.  His  perseverance  succeeded  ;  he  main- 
tained the  floor;  the  intense  excitement  subsided,  and 
he  delivered  the  great  speech  of  the  Assembly,  and  in 
the  best  style  of  his  best  days.  For  upward  of  two 
hours  the  vast  crowd  hung  upon  his  lips ;  at  one  mo- 
ment, such  was  the  anxiety  to  catch  his  lower  tones, 
you  could  hear  your  heart  beat ;  and  at  another,  some 
of  his  keen  and  terrible  sarcasms  would  bring  the  vast 
audience  to  their  feet  in  boisterous  applause.  The 
question  was  taken  long  after  midnight,  and  the  doctor 
carried  the  vote  by  a  large  majority.  His  deliverance 
on  that  evening  was  said  to  be  equal  to  any  of  his  great 
efforts,  when  in  the  vigor  of  his  manhood  he  contended 
with  Arianism  in  the  synod  of  Ulster. 

The  two  most  excited  deliberative  bodies  I  ever 
saw  were  the  French  National  and  the  Irish  G-eneral 
Assembly.  Which  was  the  most  excited  it  would 
be  difficult  to  determine.  And  yet  it  was  pleasant  to 
see,  on  the  day  after  that  stormy  debate,  the  fiercest 
opponents  walking  arm  in  arm  in  the  streets  of  Bel- 
fast, and  treating  each  other  with  all  good  feeling  on 
the  floor  of  the  House.  The  Irish  have  certainly 
a  way  of  doing  things  peculiar  to  themselves  ;  and 
L  2 


250  MEN     AND     THINGS 

The  Irish  way.  No  sediment.  The  more  excellent  way. 

because  in  a  real  row  every  body  pours  out  their  entire 
feelings,  there  is  no  remaining  sediment ;  and  when 
their  feelings  cool,  they  meet  as  friends.  They  fight 
it  out,  and  then  all  is  over.  And  all  this  is  far  prefer^ 
able  to  hiding  jealous,  envious,  rancorous  feeling  in 
our  hearts,  which  nothing  can  charm  or  allay : 

"  Which  will  not  list  to  wisdom's  lore, 
Nor  music's  voice  can  lure  it ; 
But  there  it  stings  for  evermore 
The  heart  that  must  endure  it." 

On  the  whole,  I  go  for  the  Irish  way  of  settling  dif- 
ficulties. "  If  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against  any," 
fight  it  out  fairly,  and  then  forbear,  and  forgive  one 
another.  I  have  no  patience  with  the  piety  which 
restrains  hard  words,  and  which  nourishes  hard  feel- 
ings forever.  Yet  the  more  excellent  way  is  to  indulge 
only  right  feelings,  and  to  utter  only  soft  words,  which 
turn  away  wrath. 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  251 

Visit  to  Connaught.  Sligo.  Going  to  ship. 


CHAPTER    XL. 

Visit  to  Connaught. — Sligo. — Emigrants. — Often  remove  for  the 
Worse. — Camline. — Famine  Scenes. — A  young  Hero. — The  Dead 
Ass  and  Family. — Industrial  Schools. — Several  visited. — Priestly 
Outrages. — Visit  at  Home. — Great  Changes. — Dublin. — Mr.  King. 
— Dr.  Urvvick. — An  Incident. — A  brighter  Day  coming. 

As  on  some  future  occasion  I  may  treat  of  Ireland 
and  the  Irish  in  a  separate  volume,  I  must  dismiss  for 
the  present  all  accounts  of  my  very  pleasant  visit  to 
that  island  with  a  few  brief  sketches. 

In  company  with  Dr.  Edgar,  I  made  a  flying  visit 
to  Connaught,  to  see  for  myself  what  has  been  always 
regarded  as  the  most  dark  and  uncivilized  portion  of 
the  country.  We  passed  through  Lisburn,  Moira,  Lur- 
gan,  Armagh,  Monaghan,  to  Enniskillen,  and  thence 
to  Sligo,  where  we  first  saw  the  opening  of  Connaught 
wretchedness.  It  was  a  market-day  in  Sligo,  and  we 
went  all  over  the  town.  The  people  were  poorly  clad, 
generally  peaceable  in  their  demeanor,  and  the  mat- 
ters and  things  for  sale  were  of  the  most  primitive 
character.  As  we  approached  this  little,  sea-port,  we 
passed  a  few  small  companies  of  persons  which  seemed 
to  be  deeply  affected ;  and  on  inquiry  we  learned  that 
they  were  friends  accompanying  their  friends  to  the 
ship  which  was  to  convey  them  to  America.  Many, 
many  emigrants  there  are  who  sever  the  endearing 
ties  of  kindred  and  home,  and  leave  their  scanty,  yet 
comfortable  competence,  and  go  out  from  influences 


252  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Emigrants.  Camline.  Famine  incidents. 

that  would  bind  them  to  temperance  and  virtue  to  the 
close  of  life,  to  "become  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers 
of  water  in  America,  and  to  descend  through  the  grog- 
shop to  intemperance,  crime,  and  infamy,  and  to  sink 
into  a  premature  grave,  over  which  a  tear  is  never 
shed. 

From  Sligo  we  proceeded  to  Boyle,  where  we  were 
met  by  a  private  carriage,  which  conveyed  us  to  Cam- 
line,  the  residence  of  a  noble  specimen  of  an  Irish 
lady,  and  the  young  widow  of  a  man  belonging  to  the 
old  Irish  gentry.  And  now  I  was  in  the  famine  dis- 
trict of  Ireland,  and  under  the  roof  of  a  lady  who, 
with  a  sister,  remained  to  minister  to  the  living  and 
the  dying,  when  all  others  fled  as  from  the  breath  of 
the  pestilence.  They  described  to  me  scenes  of  which 
they  were  the  witnesses,  which  rendered  me  nervous 
and  wakeful  through  the  night.  A  poor  mother  died 
of  famine  ;  the  father  went  to  a  town  for  meal,  and 
got  none;  returning  home,  he  leaned  against  a  turf- 
rick  in  the  bog  and  died,  leaving  three  orphan  chil- 
dren. The  children  were  taken  with  the  famine  fever ; 
one,  in  her  delirium,  ran  to  the  bog,  fell  into  a  hole, 
and  was  drowned.  Missed  by  her  sick  brother,  he  rose 
and  went  in  search  of  her.  He  drew  her  body  from 
the  hole,  and,  unable  to  carry  it,  drew  it  to  the  house; 
and  when  my  informant  saw  it,  the  body  was  laid  out 
by  the  hands  of  that  sick  brother  upon  the  cabin  door, 
which  was  taken  from  its  hinges  for  that  purpose. 
That  boy  alone  survived  of  the  family.  Could  I  have 
found  him,  I  would  have  brought  him  to  America. 
He  was  a  hero  in  his  way. 

They  told  of  another  family  that  killed  their  ass  for 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  253 

Ruins.  Schools.  Their  usefulness.  The  priests. 

food,  and  put  away  its  meat  in  a  barrel.  The  family- 
died,  and  their  bodies  and  the  meat  of  the  ass  were 
found  putrefying  together !  So  many  died,  and  so  many 
were  sick  and  unable  to  bury  them,  that  many  were  in- 
terred in  the  ruins  of  their  cabins,  which  were  pulled 
down  upon  their  lifeless  occupants  !  And  the  ruins  of 
desolate  villages,  once  populous,  but  now  utterly  de- 
serted, we  daily  met  in  our  rambles  in  Connaught. 

Through  the  very  efficient  and  intelligent  agency  of 
Dr.  Edgar,  much  is  doing  in  Connaught  through  in- 
dustrial schools,  in  which  the  children  are  taught  "  to 
learn  and  to  earn."  I  visited  several  of  these  at  Cam- 
line,  Clogher,  Newpark,  Dromore  West,  Ballina,  Owen- 
more,  and  others.  They  are  mostly  under  the  care  of 
lady  patronesses,  and  some  of  them  are  superintended 
by  missionaries  of  the  General  Assembly.  In  the  way 
of  the  instruction  of  the  children  in  morals  and  religion, 
and  into  habits  of  industry,  they  are  doing  an  incalcu- 
lable amount  of  good.  I  have  seen  one  hundred  chil- 
dren in  some  of  these  schools,  who,  while  they  were  se- 
curing a  good  education,  earned  more  by  their  needles 
in  working  muslin  than  could  their  fathers  by  their 
daily  labor.  I  frequently  examined  them  as  to  their 
knowledge  of  the  great  principles  of  religion,  and  of  the 
plan  of  salvation  ;  and,  although  the  children  of  Popish 
parents,  they  would  compare  most  favorably  with  any 
children  of  a  similar  age  that  I  have  ever  met  in  our 
best-regulated  and  best-instructed  Sunday-schools.  Of 
course,  the  priests  bitterly  oppose  them,  and  hate  them 
with  an  intense  hatred.  They  not  unfrequently  flog 
the  children  for  going,  and  the  parents  for  permitting 
them  to  go  !     The  priests  have  made  Ireland  a  godless, 


254  MEN    AND    THINGS 

Ireland's  cure.  Home.  Spots  remembered. 

Christless  land,  and  thus  they  have  debased  and  cursed 
it.  And  the  only  cure  for  Ireland  is  that  which  these 
schools  is  applying,  to  instruct  and  to  evangelize  the 
people.  When  the  knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  of  Jesus 
Christ  supplants  the  wretched  idolatry  of  Popery,  the 
days  of  Ireland's  mourning  are  ended. 

I  made,  of  course,  a  visit  to  the  home  of  my  child- 
hood, the  remembrances  of  which  were  fast  passing 
away  from  my  mind.  And  the  difference  between  my 
boyish  recollections  and  things  as  I  found  them  sur- 
prised me.  The  river  of  my  boyhood  was  a  small 
streamlet  over  which  I  could  step  ;  the  mountain  was 
a  little  hillock ;  the  lake  was  a  pond  over  which  an 
Indian  could  shoot  his  arrow  ;  the  road,  two  miles  long, 
became  remarkably  shortened ;  and  the  town,  which 
was  quite  large,  and  with  fine  buildings,  although  not 
diminished,  was  only  a  small  village,  and  with  very  in- 
different houses.  There  were  three  spots  which  I  well 
remember :  the  place  where  the  school-house  stood, 
where  I  first  learned  the  alphabet,  but  the  house  and 
my  old  teacher  were  gone ;  the  spring,  from  which  I 
drew  many  a  cooling  draught ;  and  the  place  in  the 
grave-yard  where  my  father  was  buried  before  I  was 
six  years  of  age,  and  to  which  my  mother  used  to  take 
me  often  by  the  hand.  Although  more  than  forty  years 
had  passed  away  since  I  entered  the  walls  of  that  par- 
ish cemetery,  I  went  directly  to  that  hallowed  grave. 

0  the  changes  which  a  few  years  make  in  any  lo- 
cality to  those  returning  on  a  visit !  On  reaching  my 
childish  home,  that  was  gone,  and  another  house  had 
taken  its  place.  An  older  brother,  a  joyous  youth  when 
we  parted,  now  met  me  almost  an  old  man.     His  wife 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  255 

Changes.  Changes.  Emotions. 

and  children  were  entire  strangers.  Not  one  that  I 
left  in  midlife  remained.  Not  a  trace  existed  of  entire 
families.  An  old  lady  said  she  remembered  me  "  a 
fine  bright  chap  going  to  school ;"  and  a  few  persons, 
a  little  older  or  younger  than  myself,  said  they  would 
know  me  any  where,  which  was  very  questionable. 
This  was  all  the  remembrance  I  could  eke  out.  I 
stood  in  the  presence  of  a  younger  brother  some  min- 
utes without  his  suspecting  who  I  was  ;  and  when  in- 
troduced, he  was  overwhelmed  with  surprise.  The  old 
neighbors  were  all  gone,  and  the  houses  of  many  of 
them  torn  down.  I  called  to  see  a  relative  that  I  re- 
membered as  a  youthful,  blooming  bride  when  a  boy  at 
school,  and  I  found  her  old,  and  haggard,  and  sickly, 
and,  in  the  vain  effort  to  keep  herself  warm,  sitting 
over  a  fire  in  July  !  And  the  thought  flashed  over  me 
that  I  was  advancing  in  years  !  My  school-mates  were 
all  gone  save  one,  who  told  me  that  I  gave  him  a  knife 
by  which  to  remember  me;  but  I  had  forgotten  even 
his  name.  Nobody  knew  me,  and  I  knew  nobody ! 
"Whether  or  not  it  was  the  effect  of  my  feelings,  I  be- 
came sick.  I  could  not  bear  up  under  the  emotions 
that  were  constantly  rising  on  my  mind  and  soul,  like 
waves  on  a  stormy  ocean,  and  after  a  more  brief  visit 
than  I  intended  to  makej  I  ordered  my  car  and  was 
away.  Never  had  I  such  a  feeling  sense  of  the  mean- 
ing of  these  words  of  David :  "As  for  man,  his  days 
are  as  grass ;  as  a  flower  of  the  field  so  he  flourisheth. 
For  the  wind  passeth  over  it  and  it  is  gone,  and  the 
place  thereof  shall  know  it  no  more." 

I  would  be  doing  great  injustice  to  all  my  feelings 
should  I  close  this  brief  sketch  of  my  visit  to  Ireland 


256  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Rev.  Mr.  King.  Dr.  Urwick.  Kindness  remembered. 

without  any  notice  of  Dublin  and  the  dear  friends  there. 
The  house  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  King,  the  eloquent, 
fearless,  faithful  defender  of  Protestantism,  whose  elo- 
quent deliverances  in  America  are  not  soon  to  be  for- 
gotten by  us,  was  my  home,  where  I  was  treated  as  a 
brother.  The  attentions  of  Dr.  Urwick.  small  in  per- 
son, unimpressive  in  appearance,  but  with  a  heart  and 
mind  of  the  noblest  development,  were  of  the  most 
paternal  kind.  I  was  deeply  impressed  with  an  inci- 
dent which  occurred  at  his  table.  Dr.  Baird,  who  had 
just  landed  from  America,  was  there.  S'I  saw  your 
son  a  short  time  ago  in  New  York,'*  said  he,  address- 
ing Mrs.  Urwick.  who  has  since  gone  to  heaven.  He 
was  the  first  person  she  saw  who  had  seen  that  son  in 
the  New  "World.  It  was  too  much  for  her  weak  frame. 
She  rose  from  the  table,  unable  to  restrain  her  emo- 
tions, and  retired.  "Who  but  a  mother  knows  the 
depths  of  a  mother's  heart  ?  And  with  Dr.  Kirkpatrick 
and  the  Rev.  Richard  Dill  I  was  permitted  to  renew  the 
acquaintance  which  I  had  the  pleasure  to  make  with 
them  at  Belfast  And  the  favors  conferred  upon  me 
by  these  brethren,  and  by  other  distinguished  citizens 
of  Dublin,  at  a  public  meeting  in  the  Rotunda,  and  at 
a  public  breakfast  at  Freemason's  Tavern,  in  Dame 
Street,  will  be  ever  and  gratefully  remembered. 

A  better  and  brighter  day  is  dawning  upon  Ireland. 
Education  is  extending  among  the  people.  The  pow- 
er of  the  priest,  which  has  only  been  a  power  for  evil, 
is  giving  way.  The  Protestant  Churches  are  waking 
up  to  a  sense  of  their  high  missions  to  the  people.  The 
ministers  of  the  Established  Church  begin  to  feel  that 
they  should  do  something  for  the  salvation  of  the  peo- 


AS    SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  257 

Brighter  day.  Population  changing. 

pie,  who  have  only  known  them  as  fox  and  hare  hunt- 
ers, fine  livers,  and  tithe  proctors.  The  lands  are  pass- 
ing out  of  the  hands  of  bankrupt  proprietors  into  those 
of  persons  of  wealth,  who  can  improve  them  and  relieve 
the  tenants.  The  vast  exodus  of  the  Papal  population 
to  this  and  other  lands  is  making  way  for  English  and 
Scotch  farmers,  who  are  going  over  in  large  numbers, 
and  carrying  with  them  Protestantism  and  habits  of  in- 
dustry. And  the  prospect  is  most  promising,  that  by 
the  blessing  of  Grod  upon  these  and  other  means  which 
are  quietly  at  work,  Ireland  will  again  assume  the  po- 
sition which  ages  ago  she  held  for  intelligence,  religion, 
and  high  civilization  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
When  all  her  people  are  educated — when  the  religion 
of  the  Bible  is  received  by  them,  then  the  jealousies  of 
sects  and  of  races  will  come  to  an  end — priestly  agita- 
tions will  be  known  no  more ;  and,  like  a  tempest-toss- 
ed vessel  anchoring  in  a  quiet  harbor,  it  will  quietly 
rest  under  the  smile  of  God. 


258  MEN    AND    THINGS 

From  Dublin.  A  difference.  Up  the  Clyde. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

Down  the  Liffey. — Up  the  Clyde. — Glasgow. — John  Henderson. — The 
Cathedral. —  Necropolis. —  M'Gavin. —  Communion  Service. —  To- 
kens and  Tables. —  Pew  Communion. —  Dr.  Gordon. — The  Irish 
Mission. — Gaelic  Chapel. — Dr.  Candlish. — Model  School. — Exam- 
ination.— A  Dinner-party. — Edinburgh  described. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  bid  fare- 
well to  the  dear  friends  of  Dublin,  and  when  the  steam- 
er "Vanguard"  turned  her  prow  down  the  Liffey  for 
Grlasgow.  And  I  thought  of  the  day  when,  a  youth,  I 
sailed  down  the  same  waters  in  the  "Martha,"  to  seek 
a  home  beyond  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic.  And  what 
induced  me,  yet  a  lad,  thus  to  throw  myself  on  the 
world  ?  The  hand  of  Grod  was  in  it.  I  went  out,  not 
knowing  whither  I  went;  but  (rod  knew.  Soon  we 
passed  Kingston  and  Howth  ;  and  as  the  shores  of  Ire- 
land receded  from  view,  and  the  heavings  of  the  blue 
sea  commenced  exciting  some  symptoms  of  internal 
commotion,  I  went  quietly  to  my  shelf,  leaving  the 
"Vanguard"  to  make  her  way  through  the  Channel 
without  my  guidance  or  care.  I  awoke  in  the  Firth 
of  the  Clyde,  in  the  morning.  Soon  we  left  the  barren 
hills  of  Arran  behind  us  ;  soon  those  of  Bute.  After 
stopping  an  hour  at  G-reenock,  we  continued  our  course 
by  Dumbarton  Castle  and  town  to  Grlasgow,  where  we 
arrived  at  noon. 

The  sail  up  the  Clyde  is  pleasant,  and,  to  a  stranger, 
interesting.     The  hills  are  treeless,  and  covered  only 


AS    SEEN     IN    EUROPE.  259 

Clyde  and  Hudson.  Glasgow.  Cathedral. 

with  heather.  The  houses  on  the  water's  edge  are 
without  any  shelter.  Villages  are  frequent,  and  wear 
an  appearance  of  neatness.  Above  Greenock,  the  chan- 
nel of  the  river  becomes  winding  and  narrow,  and  the 
navigation  slow  and  difficult;  and  while  the  scenery- 
is  pleasing,  every  thing  is  on  a  cabinet  scale.  It  bears 
scarcely  a  comparison  with  a  sail  up  the  Hudson. 

Glasgow  is  the  Manchester  of  Scotland,  and  is  in- 
creasing like  an  American  city.  It  has  now  a  popula- 
tion of  360,000,  while  in  1830  it  had  only  about 
200,000.  While  almost  exclusively  a  commercial  city, 
it  has  several  literary,  and  many  charitable  and  phil- 
anthropic institutions.  Its  churches  are  numerous — 
many  of  its  clergy  have  an  American  as  well  as  a  Eu- 
ropean reputation ;  and  many  of  its  princely  merchants 
consecrate  their  wealth  and  influence  to  arrest  the  tide 
of  wickedness  flowing  in  upon  it  because  of  its  mer- 
cantile and  manufacturing  prosperity.  Among  these 
are  John  Henderson,  of  Park,  one  of  the  co-laborers  of 
Sir  Andrew  Agnew  on  the  better  sanctification  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  upon  whom  the  mantle  of  the  departed 
baronet  seems  to  have  fallen. 

The  old  Cathedral  and  the  Necropolis  alone  possess- 
ed any  peculiar  interest  to  me.  The  first  is  almost  the 
only  ecclesiastical  building  of  the  Middle  Ages  left 
north  of  the  Tweed,  and  is  venerable  for  its  antiquity ; 
but,  interiorly,  the  unity  of  its  design  is  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  its  being  fitted  up  for  Protestant  worship. 
Its  crypt  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  Europe,  in 
which,  our  guide  informed  us,  lie  buried  the  remains 
of  Irving.  The  Necropolis,  which  is  the  Pere  la  Chaise 
of  Glasgow,  forms  a  fine  background  to  the  Cathedral, 


260  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Necropolis.  Monuments.  Edinburgh. 

from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  small  streamlet  or 
"  burn,"  which  babbles  along  its  stony  bed  to  the  Clyde. 
On  passing  over  this  burn  on  "  the  Bridge  of  Sighs," 
you  ascend  up  by  a  steep,  winding  path  ;  and  when 
you  reach  the  summit  of  the  grounds,  the  Cathedral  of 
St.Mungo  and  Glasgow  lie  at  your  feet.  The  view 
from  this  point  is  extended  for  such  a  hilly  country, 
and  is  very  fine.  There  are  two  monuments  which  ar- 
rest the  attention  of  every  visitor :  the  first  and  most 
conspicuous  is  that  erected  to  the  memory  of  John 
Knox ;  and  the  other  is  that  erected  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  M' Gavin,  the  author  of  "  The  Protestant," 
and  who  was  a  banker  and  merchant  of  this  city.  He 
was  a  man  of  learning,  piety,  philanthropy ;  and  al- 
though his  memory  is  blackened  in  every  way  by  papal 
bishops  and  "  the  inferior  clergy,"  it  is  held  in  the 
very  highest  repute  by  the  people  of  Glasgow.  "Were 
they  not  such  stanch  Protestants,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  fear  of  placing  him  in  bad  company,  they  would 
put  him  in  the  calendar.  They  know  too  much  of  the 
history  of  papal  saints  to  place  their  noble  and  fearless 
fellow-citizen  on  a  par  with  such  ignorant  and  wicked 
sensualists  and  fanatics.  The  time  from  Glasgow  to 
Edinburgh  is  less  than  two  hours  ;  and  I  reached  the 
Athens  of  the  North  late  on  Saturday  evening. 

My  first  Sabbath  in  Scotland  was  a  most  interesting 
one.  It  was  communion  at  Free  St.  Mary's,  of  which 
the  venerable  and  beloved  Dr.  Henry  Gray  is  pastor. 
As  we  entered  the  church,  a  table  with  plates  on  it, 
and  around  which  stood  several  persons,  first  presented 
itself.  All  that  entered  placed  some  money  on  the 
plates.     And  this  custom  we  observed  every  where  in 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  261 

Communion  season.  Tokens  and  tables. 


Scotland  where  we  worshiped.  "When  the  people  go 
up  to  worship  Grod,  they  are  "  careful  to  remember  the 
poor."  This  saves  from  our  unseemly  way  of  taking 
up  collections,  whether  with  plates  or  with  bags,  which 
often  detracts  more  from  the  solemnity  of  a  service  than 
the  collections  benefit.  The  pastor,  wearing  his  gown 
and  bands,  feeble  in  health,  thin,  and  tall  in  person, 
preached  a  sweet  sermon,  and  with  great  unction,  on 
the  text,  "  Christ  in  you  the  hope  of  glory."  Tables 
and  tokens  were  used.  The  first  table  was  served  by 
Dr.  Cunningham ;  and  when  its  service  was  ended, 
nearly  all  that  communicated  retired  from  the  house. 
The  younger  communicants  retired  at  the  close  of  the 
sermon,  but  returned  in  time  to  commune  at  the  last 
tables.  As  each  table  has  a  service  of  its  own,  and 
often  from  a  different  clergyman,  it  makes  of  the  whole 
ceremony  a  very  protracted  affair.  And  while  impress- 
ed with  the  solemnity  of  the  service,  and  with  the  very 
weighty  and  important  exhortations  made,  and  with 
the  large  number  of  youth  that  partook  of  the  sacra- 
ment, we  could  not  help  the  conviction  that  "  tokens 
and  tables,"  without  adding  any  thing,  greatly  detract- 
ed from  the  unity,  the  solemnity,  and  impressiveness 
of  the  entire  service,  and  tend  greatly  to  the  weariness 
of  pastor  and  people.  Pew  communion,  as  with  us, 
where  the  old  and  young  met  together  without  noise 
or  changing  of  seats,  where  all  remain  Until  the  service 
is  ended,  where  all  are  invited  to  partake  who  make  a 
credible  profession  of  religion,  placing  the  responsibili- 
ty of  partaking  unworthily  upon  themselves,  we  believe 
to  be  the  more  excellent  way.  The  rule  which  would 
bind  us  in  this  matter  to  the  way  of  our  Scotch  and 


262  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Dr.  Gordon.  A  mistake.  Singular  audience. 

Irish  ancestry,  is  better  in  the  breach  than  in  the  ob- 
servance. 

We  went  in  the  afternoon  to  hear  Dr.  G-ordon  in  his 
new  edifice  by  the  new  college  of  the  Free  Church. 
His  congregation  was  large  and  attentive.  The  doctor 
is  a  small,  lean  man,  past  sixty  years  of  age,  with  thin 
gray  hair,  high  forehead,  and  with  a  general  expression 
of  countenance  more  amiable  than  intellectual.  With 
a  feeble,  but  yet  distinct  and  effective  voice,  he  preach- 
ed an  excellent  sermon.  The  seat  of  his  elders  is  on  a 
range  with  the  pulpit,  and  almost  as  high  ;  among 
whom  sat  Dr.  Duff.  Dr.  Cunningham  is  one  of  his  eld- 
ers. As  a  pious,  judicious  man,  consecrated  to  his 
work,  and  safe  in  all  his  measures  and  influences,  Dr. 
G-ordon  stands  very  high  in  Britain. 

As  Dr.  Candlish  was  advertised  to  preach  in  the  G-ae- 
lic  chapel,  under  the  shadow  of  the  castle,  in  the  even- 
ing, I  took  a  long  walk  to  hear  him.  Following  a  crowd, 
I  pressed  my  way  into  a  circular  building  to  a  position 
where  I  had  a  full  view  of  what  was  going  on.  The 
pulpit,  standing  on  one  side  near  the  floor,  was  occu- 
pied by  two  ministers,  while  seats  rose  one  above  an- 
other to  the  very  roof ;  and  these  seats  all  the  way  up 
were  crowded  densely  with  a  most  interested  auditory. 
The  men  in  the  pulpit  were  asking  questions  of  per- 
sons on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  and  on  the  high- 
est seats.  They  replied  in  a  peculiar  accent,  and  oft- 
en asked  questions  in  turn.  Persons  through  the 
house  asked  questions,  and  often  interposed.  Sheridan 
Knowles  sat  near  the  pulpit,  and  addressed  the  people. 
Dr.  Begg  was  there  and  spoke.  Somebody  said  some- 
thing about  the  Savior  reducing  the  Ten  Command- 


AS    SEEN    IN    EUROPE.  263 

A  good  hit.  Irish  mission.  Dr.  Candlish. 

ments  to  two,  while  the  Papists  made  two  of  one,  and 
thus  made  eleven  commandments.  "And  sure,"  said 
a  man  with  a  droll  voice  and  accent,  throwing  a  broad 
smile  over  the  whole  auditory,  "  and  sure,  if  you  Prot- 
estants can  get  along  with  two  commandments,  we 
Roman  Catholics  ought  to  be  able  to  get  along  with 
eleven."  Astonished  at  all  I  saw  and  heard,  I  asked, 
"  Is  that  Dr.  Candlish,  and  is  this  the  Gaelic  chapel?" 
"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  person  I  addressed,  "  this  is  the 
service  of  the  Irish  mission ;  Dr.  Candlish  is  preaching 
in  the  church  opposite."  The  chief  man  in  the  pulpit 
was  the  Rev.  Peter  M'Menomy,  a  converted  Papist,  a 
minister  of  the  Free  Church,  and  at  the  head  of  the 
Edinburgh  mission  to  the  Irish  Papists  ;  and  the  per- 
sons to  whom  he  was  propounding  questions  were  Irish 
papists,  with  whom  he  often  held  these  keen  discus- 
sions, and  hundreds  of  whom  were  led  to  give  up  the 
missal  for  the  Bible,  and  the  mumbling  of  the  mass  for 
the  true  worship  of  God. 

From  the  crowded  mission  house  I  passed  over  to 
the  Graelic  chapel,  equally  crowded,  on  the  opposite  side. 
They  were  singing  when  I  entered ;  and  they  were  all 
singing.  And  such  a  shout  of  hearty  devotion  I  had 
never  heard.  Dr.  Candlish,  very  small,  very  thin,  very 
restless,  with  a  finely-developed  head,  projecting  fore- 
head, and  a  quick,  restless  eye,  was  alone  in  the  pulpit. 
He  laid  himself  down  on  the  Bible  when  he  prayed. 
His  voice  is  not  well  modulated.  He  preached  on  the 
faith  of  Abraham,  with  contortions  of  person  and  coun- 
tenance, and  of  his  gown  and  bands,  which  were  some- 
times ludicrous  enough.  Some  of  his  positions  and  ges- 
tures were  almost  as  awkward,  as  violent,  and  as  elo- 


264  MEN     AND     THINGS 

His  sermon.  Schools.  Examination. 

quent  as  were  those  of  Dr.  Duff  at  Exeter  Hall.  The 
sermon  was  abstract  and  very  able,  and  was  heard 
throughout  with  fixed  attention  ;  but  a  friend  suggest- 
ed that  he  put  thoughts  into  the  mind  of  Abraham  of 
which  the  good  old  patriarch  had  never  even  dreamed. 
I  gave  to  the  suggestion  my  assent.  He  is  making  his 
mark  upon  Scotland.  Though  odd  in  his  manners, 
which  are  often  abrupt  and  bluff,  he  is  most  affable, 
and  full  of  conversation.  He  is  a  man  of  great  and 
varied  powers. 

Nothing  more  deeply  interested  me  in  Edinburgh 
than  the  examinations  of  their  schools.  On  invitation, 
I  went  with  Dr.  Candlish  to  the  examination  of  the 
model  school  of  the  Free  Church,  which  occupies  the 
house  of  the  good  regent,  Murray  ;  and  where  you  are 
shown  a  thorn-bush  planted  by  Queen  Mary,  and  the 
room  in  which  the  treaty  with  England  was  signed. 
Many  of  the  clergy  and  of  the  teachers  of  the  city 
were  there.  The  examination  was  thorough,  and  re- 
markably well  sustained.  Never  did  I  hear  such  an 
examination  in  the  Shorter  Catechism.  By  boys  and 
girls,  ranging  from  twelve  to  eighteen  or  twenty  years, 
it  was  analyzed  with  a  dexterity  and  readiness  which 
showed  that  it  was  placed  on  the  same  ground  as 
algebra,  Euclid,  grammar,  and  geography  in  the 
science  of  education.  And  it  is  this  attention  to 
thorough  religious  instruction  in  their  youth  which 
has  given  the  Scotch  a  character  for  principle  and 
honesty  above  any  other  people.  After  the  close  of 
the  examination  we  repaired  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Johnstone,  the  enterprising  publisher,  and  sat  down  to 
dinner  with  a  company  of  authors,  scholars,  and  teach- 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  265 

Dinner-party.  Edinburgh.  Standing  argument. 

ers,  among  whom  were  Dr.  Cunningham,  Dr.  M'Crie, 
Dr.  Hetherington,  Dr.  Tweedie,  Dr.  Candlish,  names 
known  to  fame  on  both  continents,  and  whose  pres- 
ence would  give  character  to  any  assemblage.  Noth- 
ing pertaining  to  the  education  of  the  young  is  beneath 
the  notice  and  patronage  of  Scotland's  noblest  men. 
And  so  it  should  be  in  all  the  earth. 

Edinburgh  is  a  city  beautiful  for  situation.  In 
panoramic  splendor  it  is  not  surpassed  by  any  city  of 
Europe.  The  solitary  grandeur  of  Arthur's  Seat — the 
castle  frowning  from  its  airy  height  in  the  midst  of 
the  city — Carton  Hill,  with  its  observatory,  monu- 
ments, and  unfinished  Parthenon,  a  monument  to  the 
pride  and  poverty  of  Scotland — the  estuary  of  Forth, 
expanding  into  the  ocean — the  surrounding  Pentland, 
Lammermoor,  and  Grampian  Hills — the  picturesque 
disorder  of  the  Old  Town,  and  the  almost  painful  pro- 
portions and  elegance  of  the  New,  form  features  of  a 
landscape  of  great  beauty  and  sublimity.  But  its 
true  glory  lies  in  its  commodious  churches,  its  very 
able  and  evangelical  ministry,  its  literary,  moral,  and 
religious  institutions,  and  the  general  intelligence  and 
morality  of  its  people.  In  all  these  respects,  it  stands 
pre-eminent  among  the  cities  of  the  earth.  The  world 
may  revile  John  Knox,  and  ignorant  sectaries  may 
defame  the  doctrine  and  order  which  are  distinctively 
Presbyterian,  but  Edinburgh  and  all  Scotland  present 
a  standing  argument  in  the  vindication  of  both  which 
no  mind  of  ordinary  fairness  can  either  gainsay  or  con- 
tradict. 

M 


266  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Rev.  J.  A.  James.  To  Oban. 


CHAPTER   XLII. 

Park. — Rev.  J.  A.  James. — Sail  to  Oban. — Oban. — Royalty  in  Exile. 
— Sail  round  Mull. — Staffa :  its  Cave. —  lona  :  its  History. — Ruins. 
— Culdees. — Royal  Graves. — The  ruling  Passion. — Stone  Crosses. 
— Talk  on  the  Wheel-box. 

That  was  a  pleasant  evening  which  I  spent  at  Park, 
on  the  Clyde,  the  residence  of  John  Henderson,  Esquire. 
It  was  there  I  met  the  Rev.  John  Angel  James,  of  Bir- 
mingham, so  widely  known  for  his  many  pious,  evan- 
gelical, and  greatly  useful  works.  He  is  very  much 
like  his  hooks,  pious,  elegant,  chaste  in  conversation, 
very  affable,  and  by  no  means  so  English  as  many  of 
his  portraits  would  represent  him.  Deeply  to  my  re- 
gret, he  was  prevented,  by  indisposition,  from  being 
my  fellow-traveler  to  the  Highlands. 

Taking  a  steamer  at  Park,  we  sailed  down  by  Green- 
ock to  the  Firth  of  Clyde,  and  thence  by  the  Kyles  of 
Bute  to  Loch  Fine,  and  thence  by  the  Crinan  Canal 
through  a  great  many  islands  up  to  Oban.  The  day 
was  calm  and  warm,  and  the  sail  was  magnificent, 
with  the  Highlands  and  islands  constantly  before  us, 
and  the  scenery  changing  at  every  turn.  We  had  on 
board  a  large  company  of  hounds  and  huntsmen,  and 
quite  a  sprinkling  of  nobility,  on  their  way  to  the  shoot- 
ing and  hunting  grounds  in  the  Highlands.  The  dogs 
were  the  only  passengers  to  whom  the  nobility  paid 
much  attention. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  267 

Oban.  Royalty  in  exile.  Round  Mull. 

Oban  is  most  pleasantly  situated  at  the  head  of  a 
small  bay.  Upon  a  cliff  near  the  town  stands  the  ivy- 
clad  ruins  of  Dunolly  Castle,  the  ancient  fortress  of  the 
MacDougals  of  Lorn,  once  a  most  powerful  clan.  From 
the  heights  above  the  town  are  fine  views  of  the  sea, 
of  the  Isle  of  Mull,  and  of  many  smaller  islands,  each 
of  which  have  their  spirit-stirring  history.  It  was  on 
these  heights  I  saw,  save  in  the  case  of  soldiers,  the 
only  Highland  dress  I  saw  in  Scotland.  And  it  was 
worn  by  a  man  upward  of  sixty  years  of  age,  of  proud 
bearing,  and  probably  one  of  the  descendants  of  the 
"  Lords  of  the  Isles."  In  this  Highland  village  we 
found  the  ex-Q,ueen  of  France,  the  widow  of  Louis 
Philippe,  with  some  of  her  children,  her  suite,  and  her 
priests.  0  what  a  change  from  Paris  to  Oban,  and 
from  the  Tuileries  and  Versailles  to  the  Caledonia 
Hotel !     Royalty  in  exile  ! 

We  took  the  steamer  early  in  the  morning  for  Staffa 
and  Iona,  those  celebrated  islands  on  the  western  shores 
of  Scotland.  The  day  was  bright  and  calm,  and  with- 
out a  ripple  on  the  ocean.  On  that  little  island  Alex- 
ander II.  died  in  1247,  and  Haco  of  Norway  met  his 
confederate  chieftains.  That  little  island  was  anciently 
the  residence  of  the  bishops  of  Argyle.  There,  on  the 
shores  of  Mull,  is  the  "  Lady  Rock,"  where  Maclean 
exposed  his  wife  to  be  swept  away  by  the  tide;  but 
she  was  rescued  by  some  of  her  father's  followers.  Ig- 
norant of  her  rescue,  Maclean  had  for  her  a  mock  fu- 
neral ;  and  was  soon  afterward  put  to  death  by  the 
friends  of  his  injured  wife.  And  there  "  is  woody  Mor- 
ven,"  famed  in  the  rhapsodies  of  Ossian.  And  as  we 
rounded  the  last  promontory  of  Mull,  the  islands  of 


268  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Staffa.  Cave  of  Fingal.  Columns. 

which  we  were  in  search  were  seen  quietly  reposing 
like  sea-birds  on  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic. 

Staffa  rises  from  the  ocean  straight  as  a  wall,  and  is 
of  very  irregular  shape.  It  is  about  half  a  mile  square 
on  the  top,  which  is  reached  with  difficulty  by  means 
of  a  ladder.  The  great  attraction  of  this  island  is  its 
peculiar  basaltic  formation,  and  the  "  Cave  of  Fingal." 
This  cave  is  one  of  the  world's  wonders.  It  is  about 
seventy  feet  high,  thirty-six  wide,  and  recedes  inward 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  entire  front 
and  sides  are  composed  of  countless  basaltic  columns, 
beautifully  jointed,  and  of  symmetrical  though  varied 
forms.  The  roof  is  composed  of  a  rich  grouping  of 
overhanging  pillars,  some  of  them  of  snowy  whiteness 
from  their  calcareous  incrustations.  The  ocean  ebbs 
and  flows  in  this  cave,  and  at  full  tide  boats  can  go 
back  and  forth  through  its  entire  length.  The  columns 
on  the  island  are  sometimes  perpendicular,  sometimes 
oblique,  and  sometimes  nearly  horizontal.  They  are 
generally  pentagonal  and  hexagonal ;  sometimes  they 
have  seven  or  nine  sides ;  but  they  are  rarely  trian- 
gular or  rhomboidal.  Nor  are  their  angles  so  sharp,  nor 
are  the  blocks  so  exquisitely  united,  as  those  of  the 
Giant's  Causeway,  in  Ireland.  Yet  so  closely  are  they 
often  jointed  as  not  to  admit  between  them  the  blade 
of  a  knife. 

But  neither  pencil  nor  pen  can  adequately  describe 
this  wonder  of  nature  to  those  who  have  never  seen  it. 
"  If  this  cave  were  destitute  of  the  order,  the  symme- 
try, the  richness  arising  from  the  multiplicity  of  parts, 
combined  with  the  greatness  of  dimensions  and  sim- 
plicity of  style  which  it  possesses  ;  still,  the  prolonged 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  269 

Attractions.  Iona.  Monument  to  Leigh  Richmond. 

length,  the  irregular  galleries,  the  twilight  gloom,  the 
echoes  of  the  surge  as  it  rises  and  falls,  the  transparent 
green  of  the  water,  and  the  fairy  solitude  of  the  whole 
scene,  can  not  fail  permanently  to  impress  any  mind 
gifted  with  any  sense  of  beauty  in  nature  or  art."  And 
although  without  inhabitant,  without  hamlet  or  hut 
under  which  to  take  shelter  from  rain  or  storm,  and 
exposed  to  every  wind  that  sweeps  the  sea,  it  is  yet 
visited  yearly  by  thousands,  solely  attracted  by  the 
wonderful  formation  and  caves  of  Staffa,  where 
"  Nature  itself,  it  seem'd,  would  raise 
A  Minster  to  her  Maker's  praise." 

After  spending  some  hours  amid  these  wonders,  we 
embarked,  and  proceeded  to  Iona,  but  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant. Here  we  went  ashore  in  boats,  and  were  met 
by  a  crowd  of  children,  wishing  to  sell  us  pebbles  and 
relics  of  the  island.  Unlike  Staffa,  it  lies  low,  possess- 
es a  surface  of  about  ten  square  miles,  and  has  about 
400  inhabitants.  There  is  an  Established  and  Free 
Church,  which  would  seem  to  indicate  a  waste  of  men 
and  money.  But  we  were  told  that  at  the  disruption, 
the  minister,  who  yet  is  on  the  island,  and  almost  all 
the  people,  went  out  with  the  Free  Church,  which  ren- 
dered the  erection  of  a  new  church  necessary.  We 
here  found  a  circulating  library  of  religious  books,  kept 
in  a  neat  room  of  one  of  the  tenants,  who  was  its  libra- 
rian, and  which  was  established  by  Leigh  Richmond, 
on  his  visit  to  Iona.  What  a  useful  monument  to  com- 
memorate the  visit  of  that  excellent  Christian  minister. 

The  great  attraction  of  this  island  is  in  its  history 
and  ruins.  When  corruption  had  deeply  infected  the 
Church,  and  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  filled  all  the  na- 


270  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Culdees.  Their  history.  Ruins. 

tions  of  Europe,  a  class  of  religious  people  fled  to  this 
lonely  island  for  the  cultivation  of  religion  and  letters. 
These  mostly  came  from  Ireland,  led  by  a  Christian 
minister  named  Columba,  and  subsequently  received 
the  name  of  Culdees.  For  ages  together  they  main- 
tained their  simple  habits  and  worship,  uncorrupted  by 
the  errors,  and  unseduced  by  the  arts  and  wiles  of  Pop- 
ery. This  island  long  continued  the  great  luminary 
of  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  sent  out  from  its  narrow 
domain  the  men  that  kept  the  lamps  of  religion  and 
learning  trimmed  and  burning  in  the  surrounding  isl- 
ands for  many  centuries.  The  Culdees  were  finally 
compelled  to  yield  to  the  all-corrupting  power  of  Rome. 
At  one  time  they  were  attacked  by  the  piratical  Danes  ; 
at  another  by  the  Norwegians  ;  and  they  suffered  ter- 
ribly in  the  conflicts  between  the  Picts  and  Scots.  In 
877  they  fled  to  Ireland.  Their  abbot  was  slain,  and 
their  monastery  pillaged  in  985.  In  1059  their  mon- 
astery was  consumed.  They  lingered  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury afterward  amid  the  ruins  of  their  sacred  island, 
when  they  were  scattered  over  Scotland,  and  kept  the 
lights  of  truth  burning  until  the  Reformation,  which 
they  all  hailed  as  the  work  of  Grod. 

And  there  before  you  stand  the  ruins  of  their  famous 
old  monastery,  and  of  the  chapel  where  these  Culdees 
preached  and  prayed.  The  feelings  which  the  first 
view  of  them  excites  is  peculiar,  after  sailing  for  hours 
among  the  barren  islands  between  them  and  Oban. 
They  rise  out  of  the  deep,  giving  to  the  desolate  region 
an  air  of  civilization,  and  stand  up  a  monument  to  the 
memory  of  the  pious  and  holy  men  whose  works  yet 
praise  them,  though  the  names  of  most  of  them  have 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  271 

Holy  island.  The  baptistry.  Singular  question. 

passed  away  from  the  records  of  men.  This  was  es- 
teemed in  Denmark  and  Norway,  as  well  as  in  Ireland 
and  Scotland,  "  an  holy  island ;"  and  hence  you  are 
shown  lines  of  graves  of  Danish  and  Scottish  kings. 
On  their  death  they  were  taken  to  the  "holy  isle"  for 
sepulture.  In  wandering  around  the  ruins,  we  came 
to  what  was  obviously  the  well  of  the  monastery,  now 
almost  filled  up  with  rubbish.  "  What  was  this  ?"  said 
a  lady  of  the  company.  "  No  doubt  the  old  well  of 
the  Culdees,"  was  the  reply.  "  As  the  Culdees  were 
Baptists,  was  it  not  probably  their  baptistry  ?"  said  an 
intelligent  Baptist  clergyman  from  London,  who  was 
one  of  the  company.  It  was  the  ruling  passion  strong 
in  Iona.  Of  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  stone 
crosses  which  studded  this  little  isle,  but  one  now  re- 
mains, which  is  a  rudely-carved  pillar  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  high,  and  is  called  the  MacLean  Cross,  after  the 
clan  which  was  once  chief  among  these  islands.  And 
as  our  steamer  turned  her  prow  toward  Oban,  I  threw 
all  the  emotions  of  my  heart  into  the  sweet  words, 

"  Homeward  we  turn.    Isle  of  Columba's  cell, 
Where  Christian  piety's  soul-cheering  spark 
(Kindled  from  heaven  between  the  light  and  dark 
Of  time)  shone  like  the  morning  star — farewell." 

"  You  are  from  America,  they  tell  me,"  said  the 
captain,  as  I  stood  on  the  wheel-box  looking  out  upon 
Mull,  and  straining  my  eyes  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
Skye.  After  some  conversation  as  to  localities,  he 
again  asked,  "  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  Bishop  Hughes 
in  New  York  ?"  After  replying  in  the  affirmative,  he 
said,  "  I  was  some  months  ago  in  Sligo,  where  I  bought 
a  little  book  called  *  Letters  to  Bishop  Hughes,  by 


272  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Who  is  Kirwan  ?  Niche  in  the  Dunciad 

Kirwan.'  Now  I  want  to  know  if  you  have  ever  seen 
it  or  read  it  ?"  On  replying  in  the  affirmative,  he 
said,  "  I  have  read  that  book  over  and  over ;  and  I 
have  read  it  to  my  wife  :  now  I  want  to  ask  if  you 
know  who  Kirwan  was  ?"  Without  revealing  myself 
to  the  honest  Scot,  for  which  I  have  since  been  sorry, 
I  got  round  the  question  as  well  as  I  could.  "Well," 
said  he,  as  he  left  me,  "  I  should  really  like  to  know 
how  Bishop  Hughes  could  get  along  with  Kirwan." 
Did  I  know  where  to  find  him,  or  how  to  direct  it,  I 
would  certainly  send  him  a  copy  of  that  wonderful 
production — "  Kirwan  Unmasked,"  which  has  done  so 
much  to  exalt  the  literary  fame  of  its  author.  It 
affords  full  proof  of  his  rare  qualifications  for  a  high 
niche  in  the  Dunciad. 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  273 

Ballahulish.  Glencoe.  Scenery 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

To  Ballahulish. — Glencoe  :  its  Wildness. — Ossian's  Birth-place. — 
Massacre. — Scotch  Bittock. — A  Moor. — Barren  Possessions. —Duke 
of  Breadalbane. — Loch  Lomond. — Sketches  from  Nature. — Invers- 
naid. — A  Cabin. — Loch  Katrine. — Trosachs. — Our  Coachman. — 
Sabbath  in  Callander. — Identity  of  the  Gaelic  and  Irish  Languages. 
— Comparison. — To  Liverpool. 

"We  took  an  early  start  from  Oban  for  Loch  Lomond. 
"We  sailed  up  Lochs  Linnhe,  and  Appan,  and  Levin, 
which  are  only  salt-water  hays,  sprinkled  all  over  with 
barren  islands,  and  were  landed  at  a  most  miserable 
village  called  Ballahulish,  where  is  a  very  extensive 
slate  quarry.  The  houses,  the  women,  and  the  chil- 
dren forcibly  recalled  some  of  the  villages  that  we  had 
seen  in  Connaught.  Here  we  took  a  stage,  and  rode 
at  a  fearful  rate  through  the  celebrated  pass  of  Grlen- 
coe,  to  see  which  was  our  object  in  taking  this  route 
This  pass  or  gorge  is  celebrated  for  its  wildness,  and 
for  a  fearful  massacre  perpetrated  there  in  1691,  that 
leaves  a  stain  upon  the  character  of  King  William 
which  no  effort  has  been  able  to  remove.  The  lower 
portion  of  it  is  cultivated ;  but  every  sign  of  cultivation 
disappears  as  you  advance.  Soon  you  are  in  a  defile, 
wild  to  savageness,  where  you  can  only  see  the  heavens 
above  you,  and  ragged  rocks  on  either  hand,  lifting  up 
their  peaks  to  the  clouds.  Toward  the  head  of  the  glen 
the  scenery  becomes  almost  Alpine  in  rough  sublimity ; 
you  are  reminded  of  the  Alps  by  the  dark  shadows  of 
M  2 


274  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Ossian's  birth-place.  Massacre 

the  mountains,  and  by  the  wreaths  of  snow  to  be  seen 
in  all  their  clefts.  Occasionally  along  the  road  you 
see  in  the  piles  of  stones  and  sand,  and  the  deep  gul- 
leys  that  interrupt  your  travel,  the  fearful  power  of 
the  mountain  torrent ;  and  for  some  months  of  the 
year  the  scream  of  the  eagle  and  the  roar  of  these 
torrents  are  the  only  sounds  heard  in  this  waste- 
howling  wilderness.  The  wild  stream  of  Cona  rushes 
through  this  glen,  on  the  banks  of  which  it  is  said 
Ossian  was  born.  Fitting  birth-place  for  a  man  of 
such  wild  fancy  ! 

The  Macdonalds  of  this  region  were  men  of  desper- 
ate character,  little  less  than  bandits.  They  were  a 
powerful  clan,  both  as  to  number  and  courage.  They 
were,  besides,  Jacobites  of  the  worst  character,  and 
refused  to  the  last  submission  to  William.  At  last, 
however,  they  took  the  oath  of  allegiance,  but  whether 
within  the  prescribed  time,  or  two  or  three  days  after, 
is  not  so  clear.  Supposing  all  was  safe,  Macdonald 
dismissed  all  fear.  Two  companies  of  soldiers  marched 
up  the  glen,  quartered  among  the  clan  as  friends,  and, 
after  enjoying  their  hospitality  for  nearly  two  weeks, 
rose  at  night,  and  murdered  thirty-eight  of  them  in 
their  beds.  It  is  supposed  the  criminal  party  to  this 
tragedy  was  Bread albane,  between  whom  and  the 
Macdonalds  a  long  feud  existed.  "  Do  you  see  that 
green  strip  of  land  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  ?" 
said  our  furious  driver.  "  That  is  the  place  where 
Campbell  of  Gdenlyon  murdered  the  Macdonalds." 
And  we  drove  on.  "  There  is  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  and  a  bittock  of  road  here  which  is  very  bad ; 
will  you  walk  it,  gentlemen  ?"  said  the  knight  of  the 


AS     SEEN    IN     EUROPE.  275 

Scotch  bittock.  A  moor.  Loch  Lomond 

whip.  "We  all  descended ;  and  unless  the  bittock  was 
six  or  eight  times  as  long  as  the  quarter,  I  am  mis- 
taken. "  How  long,  driver,  did  you  say  it  was  up 
that  hill?"  I  inquired,  as  I  mounted  to  my  seat  on  the 
top.  He  pretended  not  to  hear ;  but  he  laughed  out- 
right when  I  told  him,  sweating  and  puffing,  that  the 
next  time  I  walked  up  that  hill,  I  thought  I  would 
ride. 

Emerging  from  this  glen,  we  passed  over  a  moor  thir- 
ty or  forty  miles  wide,  where  there  was  not  a  habitation 
visible  for  many  miles.  Nothing  met  the  eye  but  the 
heath  and  the  mountain,  with  here  and  there  a  stag  or 
a  flock  of  sheep,  whose  only  visible  means  of  support 
were  the  stones  and  the  heather.  This  is  the  great 
hunting-ground  of  the  Duke  of  Breadalbane,  whose  do- 
mains are  said  to  be  about  sixty  miles  long.  But  if  all 
his  possessions  are  like  those  over  which  we  were  pass- 
ing, he  must  be  poor  indeed,  for,  surely,  the  more  the 
worse  of  such  lands.  In  the  midst  of  this  wilderness 
we  passed  his  "  shooting-box,"  said  to  contain  fifty 
rooms.  "What,  then,  must  his  palace  be!  We  never 
heard  him  named  but  with  eulogy,  both  as  to  his  lib- 
erality and  humble  piety. 

We  reached  Loch  Lomond  early  in  the  afternoon, 
and  as  the  boat  went  down  the  lake  and  returned,  I  re- 
solved to  go  with  her  and  return,  that  I  might  have  a 
full  view  of  the  world-famed  beauties  of  these  waters. 

At  its  northern  extremity,  where  we  embarked,  the 
lake  is  in  form  like  a  canal,  not  much  wider  or  deeper. 
Soon  the  scenery  becomes  very  bold,  and  the  waters  ex- 
pand. Soon  there  is  the  appearance  of  a  lake,  when 
the  waters  spread  out  into  a  width  of  five  or  six  miles. 


276  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Up  and  down.  Its  islands.  Sunset  of  Ben  Lomond. 

You  pass  under  the  shadow  of  "  the  lofty  Ben  Lo- 
mond," and  by  many  pretty  islands,  and  within  sight  of 
many  sweet  summer  residences  of  some  of  the  aristoc- 
racy and  wealthy  merchants  of  Glasgow ;  and  in  about 
two  hours  you  reach  the  wharf  at  its  southern  point. 
Thence  we  retraced  our  course  to  Inverarnan,  where 
we  spent  the  night ;  thus  going  down  and  up  the 
lake. 

Lomond  is  the  pride  of  Scottish  lakes.  It  has  about 
thirty  islands  of  very  various  sizes.  On  some  of  these 
are  the  ruins  of  old  fortifications ;  and  every  island, 
and  projecting  rock,  and  little  vale  has  its  history.  Un- 
der that  shelving  rock  is  Rob  Roy's  cave.  That  mill 
stands  on  the  patrimony  of  Rob  ;  of  which,  when  un- 
justly deprived,  he  turned  freebooter.  That  small 
opening  is  the  entrance  to  Glen  Fruin,  where  clan  Mac- 
gregor  almost  annihilated  the  Colquhouns,  and  then 
murdered  about  eighty  youth  who  came  to  see  the 
fight.  On  that  hill  was  one  of  the  hunting-seats  of 
Fingal.  Thus  every  island,  vale,  rock,  and  pass  has  its 
bloody  history.  The  sun  was  setting  over  Ben  Lo- 
mond as  we  were  returning — the  air  was  still ;  the  lake 
from  its  glassy  bosom  reflected  every  shadow  that  fell 
upon  it.  It  was  the  gloaming  of  a  magnificent  even- 
ing in  August,  which  magnified  every  object  and  clothed 
all  nature  with  an  enchanting  mellowness.  How  I 
wished  for  the  genius  of  an  Angelo,  to  place  on  canvas 
some  of  the  enchanting  pictures  around  me.  Under 
the  inspiration  of  the  hour,  I  absolutely  drew  out  my 
pencil  and  commenced  sketching  from  nature.  But  so 
rude  were  my  sketches,  and  so  unlike  nature,  that,  ere 
I  left  the  boat,  I  save  them  to  the  waters, 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  277 


Loch  Katrine.  Trosachs. 


"  Famous  for  three  things : 
Waves  without  winds, 
Fish  without  fins, 
And  an  island  that  swims." 

Down  the  lake  again  to  Inversnaid,  where  we  landed 
for  Loch  Katrine,  five  miles  distant,  and  over  a  very- 
miserable  road.  I  walked  up  the  hill,  and,  while  wait- 
ing for  a  drosky,  entered  a  Highland  cabin  for  inspec- 
tion. The  children  could  not  speak  English,  but  with 
the  mother  I  held  quite  a  conversation.  Two  not  very 
clean  rooms  made  up  the  abode.  "  Grranny,"  as  the 
young  mother  called  her,  lay  in  the  second  room  upon 
a  bed  of  straw,  one  of  the  most  lean  and  faded  old  per- 
sons I  ever  saw.  I  made  an  effort  to  speak  to  her,  but 
she  knew  only  the  Gaelic.  But  there  was  a  Bible  with 
the  Psalms  on  a  rude  shelf,  and  the  woman  was  well 
instructed  in  religious  things.  Her  church  was  on  the 
other  side  of  the  lake,  to  which  she  went  every  Sunday. 

One  hour  brought  us  to  Loch  Katrine,  and  soon  we 
were  on  board  the  smallest  edition  of  a  steamer  I  ever 
saw,  and  on  the  bosom  of  one  of  the  smallest  lakes  im- 
aginable. First  you  are  greatly  disappointed  ;  but  as 
you  proceed,  winding  about  jutting  rocks,  the  scenery 
grows  in  beauty,  and  when  you  reach  the  "Trosachs" 
you  are  ever  more  exclaiming  how  beautiful!  The 
Trosachs  is  a  name  given  to  a  space  running  about 
three  miles,  partly  on  both  sides  of  the  lake,  consisting 
of  hills  and  rocks,  covered  thick  with  moss  and  under- 
wood, piled  indiscriminately  together,  and  which  form 
a  very  wild  and  dark  scene.  The  plot  of  the  "  Lady 
of  the  Lake"  is  laid  here  ;  and  the  captain  of  the  tiny 
steamer  shows  you  the  island  where  Ellen  shot  her  light 


278  MEN     AND     THINGS 

Lady  of  the  Lake.  Our  driver.  His  craft. 

skiff  to  the  shore — where  the  "noble  gray"  died  in  the 
chase — and  where  Roderic  Dhu  landed.  It  was  cer- 
tainly pleasing  to  read  the  beautiful  poem  as  I  did, 
amid  the  scenes  which  it  describes ;  but  I  could  not 
resist  the  inference  that  this  loch  would  be  far  less  in- 
teresting if  that  poem  had  never  been  written.  The 
prose  and  poetry  of  the  lake  differ  very  considerably. 

After  wandering  some  hours  amid  the  Trosachs,  we 
took  stage  to  Callander.  The  road  was  along  small 
lakes,  and  glens,  and  narrow  passes,  to  each  and  all  of 
which  the  genius  of  Scott  gave  a  most  romantic  history. 
I  was  very  fortunate  in  getting  a  seat  by  the  side  of 
our  driver,  a  fine,  burly,  intelligent  Scotchman,  with  a 
red  coat  and  other  insignia  of  office.  He  seemed  to 
have  committed  the  Lady  of  the  Lake  to  memory,  and 
as  we  passed  along  he  would  locate  the  various  inci- 
dents narrated  in  it.  Here  was  the  gathering-ground 
of  Clan-Alpin — up  that  mountain  the  fiery-cross  flew. 
Yonder  is  the  church  where  the  wedding  took  place — 
there  is  the  hillside  which  was  covered  with  men  at 
the  sound  of  Roderic's  bugle-horn  —  there  is  the  glen 
where  was  the  deadly  fight. 

"  They  tug,  they  strain  !  down,  down  they  go  ; 
The  Gael  above — Fitz- James  below." 

And  he  would  spout  the  passages  descriptive  of  the 
scenes  in  right  good  style,  and  greatly  to  our  edification 
and  amusement ;  and  when  not  entirely  familiar  with 
passages,  he  would  draw  the  book  from  his  pocket,  hold- 
ing it  in  one  hand,  and  guiding  his  coach  and  four 
with  the  other.  But  when  I  learned  at  Callander  that 
this  was  a  part  of  his  craft  to  get  passengers,  my  re- 
spect for  his  poetic  taste  and  voluntary  rehearsals  was 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  279 

Sabbath  in  Callander.  The  worship.  The  people. 

greatly  diminished.  What  a  pity  that  a  due  estimate 
of  the  motives  so  often  diminish  our  regard  for  the 
actions  of  men !  What  an  annoyance,  to  be  always 
canvassing  motives ! 

I  spent  the  Sabbath  in  Callander,  and  mostly  with 
the  family  of  Dr.  Cunningham,  who  was  here  spending 
his  vacation.  The  day  was  a  charming  one,  even  for 
Scotland.  Before  the  hour  of  service  I  walked  up  and 
down  the  street,  and  it  was  most  interesting  to  see  the 
people  streaming  into  the  town  in  every  direction,  each 
with  his  Bible  under  his  arm.  The  persons  in  car- 
riages mostly  went  to  the  Established  Church,  but  the 
vast  multitude  flocked  to  the  Free.  When  I  entered 
it,  the  house  was  crowded  in  all  its  parts.  Soon  a  min- 
ister entered  the  pulpit,  in  gown  and  bands,  and  com- 
menced the  service  ;  after  which,  not  an  individual  en- 
tered the  house.  All  sang  ;  and  the  singing  was  con- 
ducted from  a  desk  beneath  the  pulpit.  The  whole 
church  was  vocal  with  praise.  When  the  text  was 
announced,  all  turned  to  it  in  their  own  Bibles.  When, 
in  the  course  of  the  sermon,  a  reference  was  made  to 
Scripture,  the  people  turned  to  it.  Every  body  seemed 
attentive,  although  the  sermon  was  long,  and  to  me  dry, 
though  thoroughly  evangelical.  At  the  close  of  the 
service  there  was  a  mutual  and  kindly  recognition  of 
the  worshipers,  who  retired  from  the  town  in  troops,  as 
they  came,  each  with  a  Bible  under  their  arm ;  the 
most  decent,  orderly,  intelligent,  devout  class  of  peas- 
antry that  I  ever  saw,  or  perhaps  that  the  world  knows. 

I  went  to  the  Established  Church  in  the  afternoon, 
which  was  in  every  respect  a  poor  affair.  A  few  per- 
sons sat  in  the  gallery,  and  fewer  yet  on  the  first  floor. 


280  MEN     AND     THINGS 


Established  Church.  Gaelic  service. 


The  people. 


I  sat  on  a  dirty  seat,  and  my  feet  were  on  the  ground, 
and  a  little  urchin  was  playing,  through  the  whole  serv- 
ice, among  the  seats  with  the  stones  and  gravel.  The 
whole  service  was  in  Gaelic,  the  first  I  ever  heard,  and 
it  struck  me  as  unique.  The  hearers  were  few,  and 
generally  old.  -The  old  women  wore  white  high  caps 
without  bonnets,  and  looked  exceedingly  primitive. 
The  precentor  lined  the  psalm,  and  sung  it ;  but  where 
he  stopped  reading  and  commenced  singing,  or  the  con- 
trary, it  was  difficult  to  tell,  save  by  the  noises  of  the 
people  around.  Worse  singing  none  could  desire,  and 
but  few  could  endure.  Yet  it  seemed  to  the  taste  of 
the  people,  who  will  suffer  no  changes  in  music  ren- 
dered venerable  by  being  chanted  in  these  fastnesses 
for  three  centuries.  The  sermon  was  long  to  me,  who 
could  not  understand  a  word  of  it ;  but  the  people  hung 
upon  the  preacher's  lips,  who  now  and  then  rose  up  to 
the  region  of  earnestness.  The  whole  scene — men, 
women,  minister,  singing,  and  all — recalled  the  earlier 
worship  of  the  Covenanters ;  and  the  life-like  represent- 
ations, in  pictures,  of  that  worship  can  not  be  fully  un- 
derstood by  those  who  have  never  seen  a  Gaelic  con- 
gregation worshiping  in  the  Highlands.  The  people 
before  me  were  the  unchanged  descendants  of  their 
sires.  Any  of  them  might  be  taken  for  the  picture  of 
a  Covenanter.  The  church  was  very  thinly  attended, 
owing  partly  to  the  service  being  in  Gaelic,  but  main- 
ly to  the  fact  that  almost  all  the  Highlands  have  gone 
with  the  Free  Church. 

It  is  now  increasingly  evident  that  the  Gaelic  and 
the  Irish  are  the  same  language.  I  met  with  a  lady 
from  the  Highlands  in  the  Ballinglen  school,  in  Ireland, 
who,  from  her  knowledge  of  the  Gaelic,  read  and  spoke 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  281 

Gaelic  and  Irish  identical.  Churches.  Preaching. 

the  Irish  fluently.  And  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brannagan,  of 
the  Irish  mission,  on  his  first  hearing  a  Gaelic  sermon, 
understood  it  perfectly ;  and,  on  a  visit  to  Callander, 
he  found  no  difficulty  in  conversing  with  persons  in 
Gaelic  who  did  not  understand  English.  This  may 
lead  to  most  important  results  in  the  efforts  now  mak- 
ing to  evangelize  Ireland.  The  identity  of  language 
opens  a  wide  field  for  missionaries  from  the  Highlands. 

In  Scotland  the  churches  are  far  plainer  than  with 
us.  Those  of  Drs.  Candlish,  Gordon,  and  G-uthrie,  of 
Edinburgh,  the  most  fashionable  there,  are  not  to  be 
compared  with  our  best  class  of  churches.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  churches  in  England  and  Ireland.  They 
seem  to  go  upon  the  principle,  which  has  too  much  ev- 
idence to  substantiate  it,  that  gay  churches,  gay  peo- 
ple, and  lax  doctrine  and  discipline,  go  together.  The 
preaching  is  simple  and  scriptural,  and  far  more  earn- 
est than  with  us,  but  not  so  well  arranged  or  digest- 
ed. But  their  congregations  far  surpass  ours  in  earnest 
worship.  The  heartlessness  and  frivolity  often  seen  in 
American  churches  I  never  witnessed  in  any  Protestant 
congregations  abroad.  I  have  not  a  doubt  but  that  the 
Presbyterianism  of  Scotland  is  the  purest,  the  truest, 
the  most  spiritual  type  of  Christianity  known  among 
men. 

My  time  for  homeward  voyage  was  drawing  nigh, 
and  delay  was  no  longer  possible ;  and  I  was  away 
from  Callander,  through  Stirling  to  Edinburgh ;  and 
from  the  Athens  of  the  North,  through  Lanark,  Locker- 
bie, to  Gretna ;  and  through  Carlisle  and  Preston  to 
Liverpool,  where  I  rested  for  a  few  days,  enjoying  the 
hospitality  of  dear  Christian  friends  while  finishing  my 
preparations  for  home. 


282  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Ride  to  Bangor.  Menai  Straits. 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

To  Wales. — Menai  Straits. — Tubular  Bridge. — Length. — View  from 
beneath  ;  from  the  Top. — Last  View. — Friends  at  Liverpool. — Sail- 
ing.— Voyage. — Passengers. — Last  Evening. — Our  Farewell. 

By  an  old  and  kind  friend,  now  making  his  mark  in 
the  commercial  circles  of  Liverpool,  a  visit  was  pro- 
jected for  me  to  Wales,  and  to  the  Britannia  Bridge, 
famous  in  all  the  earth  as  a  work  of  art.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Roberts,  a  Dissenting  clergyman,  was  my  compan- 
ion. We  passed  through  old  Chester,  visiting  its  Ca- 
thedral, its  Roman  wall,  Holywell,  St.  Asaph's,  Conway 
to  Bangor,  near  to  which  are  the  famous  suspension 
and  tubular  bridges.  During  this  ride  on  the  Chester 
and  Holyhead  railway,  the  mountains  of  Wales,  prop- 
ping the  skies,  were  on  one  side  of  us,  and  the  sea, 
white  with  canvas,  on  the  other.  We  stopped  at  the 
bridge,  and  after  the  effect  of  our  astonishment  so  far 
subsided  as  to  permit  us  to  go  on,  we  went  under  it, 
and  through  it,  and  over  it. 

The  Menai  Straits  is  an  arm  of  the  sea,  separating 
the  Isle  of  Anglesea  from  the  main  land,  through  which 
the  waters  of  the  Irish  Sea  and  of  St.  George's  Chan- 
nel rush  with  great  force.  In  this  channel,  and  be- 
tween very  high  banks,  the  tide  rises  nearly  thirty 
feet,  and  the  waters  are  eternally  vibrating  in  a  cur- 
rent, whether  in  or  out,  of  from  seven  to  ten  miles  an 
hour.     The  question  to  be  solved  was,  how  the  railway 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  283 

Question  solved.  The  bridge.  View  from  the  top. 

connecting  Dublin  by  Holyhead  with  London,  could 
be  carried  over  these  straits  ?  And  the  question  was 
solved  by  the  erection  of  this  wonderful  bridge,  far 
more  wonderful  than  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt.  I  will 
attempt  a  brief  description  of  it. 

On  either  side  of  the  straits  are  built  vast  abutments, 
and  rising  about  two  hundred  feet  from  amid  the  wa- 
ters are  three  vast  tapering  towers  ;  and  upon  these 
abutments  and  towers  the  vast  iron  tubes  are  laid, 
through  which  heavily-laden  railway  trains  are  whist- 
ling almost  every  hour  of  the  day.  The  length  of  this 
tube  is  but  a  little  less  than  two  thousand  feet ;  while 
its  two  main  spans,  reaching  over  the  deepest  waters, 
are  each  four  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  Through  this 
tube  there  is  a  double  track,  and  so  firmly  is  it  con- 
structed that  it  scarcely  vibrates  when  a  heavily-laden 
train  is  flying  through  it. 

You  are  amazed  as  you  look  up  from  the  waters 
upon  the  stupendous  structure  hanging  in  the  air  above 
you,  and  when  you  see  long  trains  of  cars  flying  in  at 
the  one  side  and  flying  out  at  the  other  !  And  you 
are  amazed,  when  you  pass  through  it,  at  the  genius 
which  contrived  it,  and  at  the  skill  which  executed  it. 
But  your  amazement  rises  into  rhapsody  as  you  ascend 
to  the  top  of  the  tube  and  walk  over  its  extreme  length. 
Beneath  you  the  cars  are  flying  laden  with  passengers, 
and  in  the  waters  yet  farther  beneath  you  ships  are 
sailing  with  all  their  canvas  flying.  I  was  in  the  air 
above  while  several  vessels  of  three  or  four  hundred 
tons  burden  passed  beneath.  On  one  side  of  you  the 
famous  Suspension  Bridge  hangs  in  the  air,  over  which 
carriages  and  wagons  are  passing,  which  in  the  dis- 


284  MEN     AND    THINGS 

Magnificent.  Mrs.  Duncan.  Departure 

tance  seem  to  have  nothing  to  sustain  them.  On  an- 
other side  is  seen  reposing  in  beauty  the  marble  castle 
of  the  Marquis  of  Anglesea,  on  a  green  lawn  sloping 
to  the  water,  and  shaded  with  trees  of  unknown  age. 
East  and  west  are  seen  the  glittering  waters  of  the 
Irish  Sea  and  St.  George's  Channel ;  while  the  southern 
horizon  is  bounded  by  the  hills  of  Caernarvon,  among 
which  the  patriarch  Snowdon  lifts  his  bold  and  rugged 
head  to  the  clouds. 

It  was  enough.  We  descended.  And  as  we  walked 
toward  Bangor,  we  felt  in  kind  as  we  did  when  taking 
our  last  view  of  St.  Peter's  and  of  the  glorious  Alps. 

It  was  truly  refreshing  to  meet  in  Liverpool  Mrs. 
Mary  Lundy  Duncan,  whom  I  left  in  America,  whose 
literary  labors  are  so  excellent  and  useful,  and  whose 
visit  to  our  country  will  not  be  soon  forgotten  by  those 
who  had  the  privilege  and  pleasure  of  making  her  ac- 
quaintance. Having  seen  her  in  my  own  house,  she 
gave  me  a  home  feeling  whenever  I  met  her,  which 
was  almost  daily  during  my  sojourn. 

The  day  of  our  departure  was  come.  At  noon  we 
left  Prince's  wharf  for  the  noble  steamer  Atlantic,  which 
lay  in  the  river.  Mrs.  Duncan  and  other  dear  friends 
accompanied  us  to  the  ship.  Soon  Captain  West  took 
his  stand  on  the  wheel-house,  and  ordered  all,  save  pas- 
sengers, ashore.  It  was  a  tender  hour.  Some  were 
parting  to  meet  no  more  this  side  of  the  grave ;  and 
they  so  felt.  Soon  our  wheels  were  in  motion.  We 
waved  handkerchiefs  to  the  dear  friends  we  were  leav- 
ing as  long  as  we  could  distinguish  them.  As  Liver- 
pool and  New  Brighton  died  away  behind  us,  we  turn- 
ed our  eyes  to  the  scenes  that  were  before  us.     Soon 


AS     SEEN     IN     EUROPE.  285 

Passengers.  Voyage.  Last  service  on  board. 

we  passed  the  Skerries  and  Holyhead.  Soon  the  rock- 
bound  shore  of  Erin  rose  to  view ;  and  soon,  leaving 
Cape  Clear  behind  us,  we  were  out  on  the  broad  bosom 
of  the  sea.  Our  passengers  were  numerous,  and  of  ev- 
ery variety.  There  were  ministers,  physicians,  editors, 
lawyers,  merchants,  farmers,  mechanics,  and  play-act- 
ors. Some  were  well,  and  some  were  very  ill  bred 
persons.  Nor  did  it  take  either  long  to  show  their  na- 
ture. Some  were  returning  from  the  "World's  Fair," 
which  had  attractions  for  all  kinds  of  people,  and  our 
captain  had  never  a  more  miscellaneous  company. 
"With  the  usual  attendants  on  a  voyage,  such  as  head 
winds,  high  and  smooth  seas,  sea-sickness,  the  usual 
alternations  between  eating,  drowsing,  and  sleeping, 
we  pursued  our  course,  our  wheels  never  ceasing  for  a 
moment  to  revolve  until  we  entered  the  Bay  of  New 
York. 

Our  last  evening  on  board  was  the  evening  of  the 
Sabbath.  We  had  taken  a  pilot,  and  our  noble  cap- 
tain resigned  his  noble  ship  to  his  care.  "We  meet  in 
the  cabin  for  evening  service.  The  closing  address  was 
from  the  words  "  Finally,  brethren,  farewell."  And  as 
we  commended  each  other  in  prayer  to  Grod,  and  im- 
plored the  protection  of  Heaven  upon  our  ship  and  her 
commander  through  all  their  future  voyages,  the  deep- 
est solemnity  pervaded  the  entire  company.  And  as 
we  sung  a  parting  hymn,  every  bosom  swelled  with 
emotion,  and  many  eyes  were  overflowing  with  tears. 
We  retired ;  and  when  we  awoke  in  the  morning,  the 
Atlantic  lay  quietly  at  her  pier. 

THE    END. 


0tmx5ar&  fcPork© 
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6  Works  in  Theological  Liter  atuic. 


& 


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